Strength within Myself
by Sakucherryblossoms
Summary: After the mission to Waves, Sakura realized she needed to get stronger; she would never survive long in the shinobi world. Now, as the chuunin exams draw closer, Sakura finds new people she is able to learn from in her quest to become stronger.
1. Prologue

Prologue: Strength within Myself

After the mission to Waves, Sakura realized she needed to get stronger; she would never survive long in the shinobi world with the way she was acting. Now, as the chuunin exams draw closer, Sakura finds new people she is able to learn from in her quest to become stronger.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

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><p>She had been an utter failure on their last mission; if Naruto hadn't been there, Sakura was sure Sasuke-kun would have died. While she walked back to her house, Sakura couldn't help the feeling of complete disappointment when she thought back to the mission.<p>

She had not helped any member of her team on the mission; if someone would have tried to attack Tazuna while Sakura was "protecting" him Tazuna would be dead now, along with herself, Sakura thought begrudgingly.

Kami was she stupid. How had she even passed out of the academy with her weakness? Glaring forward as she walked, Sakura tried to remember what her strengths were; no point in looking into one's strengths, when they can't look into their weaknesses.

Sakura's strength was in her thinking; she had one of the quickest minds in the academy, only Shikamaru Nara beat her in that category. She could also memorize anything; she knew every hand sign, she knew a bunch of jutsu. Also, Sakura had amazing chakra control. The biggest problem with Sakura was that she wasn't strong enough to perform the jutsu; Sakura did not have enough chakra.

So the major things Sakura needed were: chakra storage, physical strength, and speed. Sighing, Sakura closed her eyes as she looked to the moon before her.

Reaching into her kunai pouch Sakura idly counted the low number of non-sharp weapons; how would she be able to protect her team with this?

Before the mission, Sakura had been concerned with how she was going to impress Sasuke. The thoughts were trivial to her now. There was no way Sasuke Uchiha was going to fall in love with a weakling like her; all she did was hold him back.

Frowning, Sakura skipped past her house and instead headed towards a training field. She couldn't remember the last time she had trained by herself (if she had ever). Her priorities had been different before she went on that mission, but seeing how easily Sasuke was defeated had scared her straight.

If she didn't get stronger, she was only going to be a hindrance to her team, and Sakura refused to let Naruto and Sasuke protect her anymore.

Once she arrived at the training field, Sakura let the wind blow through her long pink locks almost mockingly. She had once heard Kakashi say that ninja weren't supposed to worry about their appearance, so she decided she needed a change. This would cement her decision to become stronger.

Grabbing one of her dull kunai from her pouch, Sakura gripped her long locks tightly. With a quick slash, she cut through the strands until they rested a little below her chin. She didn't know what she looked like, but she didn't care. The long hair would get in the way of her training, and Sakura had enough things to worry about without her hair getting in the way of everything she did.

Sighing quietly, Sakura made a clone of herself before taking a step back and re-evaluating herself. She was small, with little to no muscle mass, and she was also slow. Frowning, Sakura knew would have to change that very soon.

Bringing a small amount of chakra to her feet, her and her clone started at a slow jog. She wanted to see how far she could get before she passed out, and Sakura had made the clone to keep her company. It sounded stupid, even to her, but it was something she would do when she was home alone sometimes.

Running beside her clone, Sakura followed the wall around Konoha for a little over forty minutes. Slowing to a walk, Sakura glared to the ground as she dismissed her clone. She wasn't quite tired yet, but she was more than a little upset with her endurance. No wonder the boys complained about her going slow… she really was.

Sighing quietly, Sakura decided it was time to train a little more in taijutsu. If one improved their strength, they could improve everywhere else; at least, that was what Sakura thought. Either way, taijutsu was the most basic ninja technique, and if she wanted any chance at becoming stronger, this was the way to do it.

Running back to the training ground, Sakura stopped when she noticed someone else was already there. "Oh, sorry," the pinkette said with a slight bow of her head. She didn't know who the person was, but she didn't want to bother him, and she really didn't want to embarrass herself either.

Before she could walk away, however, the male turned towards her. "Yosh!" the male said with way too much enthusiasm. Sakura's eyebrow rose slightly as the male practically flew towards her; how fast was this guy? "I am Rock Lee! What is a beautiful young flower like yourself doing out so late?"

"Oh," Sakura said with a small smile; he seemed nice enough. "I'm trying to train to become a better ninja; I'm not really a great one right now."

Lee's million watt smile turned down after she finished her sentence. He didn't frown, but Sakura saw his smile fade slightly. "What are you trying to train in, youthful flower?"

"Taijutsu mostly," Sakura said with a slight shoulder shrug. "I don't really have the chakra storage or endurance for anything else."

"Wonderful!" Lee said as his exuberance returned. "That is my specialty. Please let me help you train youthful flower! Your youthfulness should not diminish."

Sakura had to fight the smile that appeared on her face. "I think I'd like that," she said with a nod. The male's smile only widened at her response. "I'm Sakura by the way."

"Sakura-Chan!" Lee yelled. "I will help you become stronger!"

"Thank you Lee," Sakura said as she looked to the boy before her. He was a little unconventional, but Sakura didn't care. The male had at least given her the time of day, and seemed extremely excited to train her.

"We shall start tomorrow night!" Lee said as he gave her a thumbs-up. "I will bring weights for your delicate ankles to help with your speed. Meet me here at the same time."

"Okay," Sakura said with a smile. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Thank you Lee."

As Sakura walked away from the clearing, she found it hard not to smile. She was going to become stronger with the help of another.


	2. Quest: Finding Kakashi sensei

Quest: Finding Kakashi-sensei

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

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><p>Sakura couldn't help but grimace as she woke up. Maybe training after a mission hadn't been the smartest idea, but Sakura knew every little bit would help her. She knew Kakashi wanted to meet up sometime today to debrief about the mission, and she wanted to talk to him anyway.<p>

She knew Kakashi-sensei was probably going to be busy training Sasuke and Naruto, but Sakura was hoping he might have time to train her too. Lee had already said he would help her, but Lee didn't look that much older than her. If she really wanted experience, she thought getting training from a sensei would be a good idea.

Groaning slightly, Sakura rose out of bed slowly. The sun was slowly rising, and Sakura figured she could take a shower, have some breakfast, and then go find Kakashi-sensei. The silver haired man could be incredibly late, but Sakura knew for a fact he was always up early.

Pulling her shirt over her head, the sight of her short pink hair struck her. The mirror across from her bed showed how short she had really cut it. Grabbing the ends of her hair, Sakura allowed a small smile to form. The haircut was uncharacteristically boyish, but nothing could ever be completely boy when the color pink was involved. She liked it; the length wouldn't get in her way, and she was sure the change would shock the hell out of her teammates.

Stripping out of the rest of her clothes, Sakura walked to her bathroom and slowly turned on the shower. If she was being honest with herself, Sakura knew she should have taken a shower last night, but when she had gotten home, she had realized just how late it really was. She had arrived at two in the morning, which wasn't really that bad considering she had wanted to be out longer.

But as she had climbed up the stairs and arrived in her bedroom, the weight of her tiredness completely hit her. She had been gone on her mission for over two weeks, and then trained a bit afterward. It was understandable that she would be tired, but as she scrubbed off the dirt and muck from her training and her mission, Sakura felt a little more than gross.

After she got out of the shower, Sakura instantly felt better. Wrapping a towel around her body, Sakura walked into her bedroom to find something to wear. Thinking about her previous outfit, Sakura knew how impractical it was for a shinobi. The long skirt could get caught on things, and having it dangle between her legs would slow her down. Scanning the contents of her closet, Sakura frowned at the lack of choices she was provided with.

She didn't want to go out and buy new clothes; that was stupid when she already had clothes. Sighing, Sakura decided to go with black biker shorts, and a forest green tank top. The tank top was razor back with a high collar; the high collar was similar in style to that of a kimono.

After she put on her new clothes, Sakura grabbed forehead protector. Using it as a headband, Sakura felt accomplished, even though she really hadn't done anything. Placing her kunai pouch on her thigh, Sakura slipped down the stairs. Her parents were still asleep, if they were back from their trip already. They were civilian merchants, and traveling was a part of their job description. Either way, it would make the late night training sessions easier to explain, because she didn't have anyone to explain it to. They were probably gone at least three weeks out of the month.

Grabbing an apple from the table, she knew she would have to get groceries soon. Sakura decided she did have quite a few things that she would need to buy, now that she thought about it. Food was important, but she also needed new kunai; kunai that would actually cut something, and possibly a tanto sword too. She hadn't really been an expert weapon user, but she had always wanted to learn.

Slipping on her ninja sandals, Sakura walked outside her front door. Her day was going to be filled with things, now that she thought about it. But, it wasn't like she minded. Walking slowly to the market, Sakura took careful bites of her apple.

Finding the stall she wanted, Sakura flashed a smile to the merchant and scanned the items. The kunai on the table looked in worse condition than her own. Frowning, she walked to the next stall. After doing this several times, Sakura walked further on. Finally, Sakura smiled largely when she found a pack of sharp looking kunai. Looking to the seller, he smiled.

"How much are you selling these for Ojii-san?" Sakura asked the older male as she tried to look at them a little more closely. She herself did not have kunai like these, but they looked similar to Sasuke-kun's.

"It depends," the old man said as he took in Sakura's appearance. "Are you a kunochi?"

Sakura couldn't help but grin as she nodded to the forehead protector on her forehead. "Yes sir."

"Are you a strong one?" The man asked as he continued to smile.

Sakura let her smile waver before she felt a bit of determination set in. "Not really," Sakura said. "But I will be someday."

The man's eyes sparkled. "Good," he said as he grabbed something from below his stall. "I will sell the set of kunai, and this for 800 yen."

Sakura's yes widened, because that did indeed seem like a good deal. Producing the amount of money the merchant desired the two traded items. The thing the merchant had grabbed had been a dagger; the blade was smaller than the tanto she wanted originally, but it would do the trick in a sticky situation. Smiling, Sakura thanked the man again before leaving the market.

Throwing her finished apple in a nearby garbage can, Sakura opened the new package of kunai and placed them in her pouch. She had taken the dull ones out the night before, and was happy to feel the weight of metal against her thigh. Grabbing the dagger, Sakura slipped it into one of the spots along her kunai pouch. The dagger dangled off of the pouch, and as Sakura moved her hand, she brushed the small sword.

It was delicate in many ways and also very beautiful looking. The dagger's sheath was a deep red oak, and even without taking the dagger out of the sheath she could tell the weapon was sharp. Smiling to herself, Sakura decided it would be a good idea to find Kakashi-sensei. Yesterday he hadn't told them a specific meeting time, but Sakura knew it would probably happen a little after noon. If she wanted to talk to him before then, she would have to find him.

Xxx-Quest: Finding Kakashi-sensei-xxX

The task seemed easy enough, but then again Sakura forgot how aloof and easily distracted her sensei could be. She had thought of plenty of places her elusive sensei could be, but her sensei was being just that: elusive. She knew he probably didn't know she was looking for him, but that didn't help her frustration. It was nearing eleven and she had wanted to train with him before Team Seven all met up.

Gritting her teeth together, Sakura thought about the few places she had not gone to yet: the memorial stone. It was true, she hadn't found his chakra signature anywhere near the market, so the only logical place for him to be was either in the training grounds or at the monument. She assumed he wouldn't be at the training grounds because she had never really seen the older man train.

Walking towards the memorial stone made Sakura think about the mission, and how easily one of her teammates' names could have ended up on that stone. Clenching her fists tightly together, Sakura knew if anything ever happened to them, she would hate herself. Her teammates were precious to her, and she wanted to protect them like they protected her; they were her reason for becoming stronger.

As she continued to walk the path to the monument, Sakura felt a soft hum of chakra a little ways ahead. In Konoha, shinobi never masked their chakra, which made it easy for Sakura to learn about detecting chakra. It was something easy she could do, and it didn't take up any of her own chakra. As she came closer to the monument, she could see her sensei standing in front of the large stone; she wondered what he was doing here.

"Sakura?" the silver haired man questioned before turning around. Sakura knew it was unlike her to seek out her sensei, but she was going through a change, and she wanted to become a better ninja. As Kakashi-sensei turned around, she watched as his lone showing eye widened slightly.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said with a small grin as she neared closer to him.

"Sakura, what happened to your hair?" Kakashi-sensei asked as he took a couple steps away from the monument; he seemed concerned, and Sakura smiled.

"I decided to cut it," Sakura said easily as she stood in front of him. "I decided to do a lot of things last night."

Sakura watched as her sensei's eyebrow rose before nodding slightly to encourage her. He seemed curious, which is more than he usually was.

"I need to become stronger," Sakura said as she looked down to her shoes. It was going to be weird asking for him to help her; she didn't even really know him that well, did she? "Will you help train me?"

"Sakura," Kakashi said with a slight shaking of his head. "I'm already your sensei; I already train you."

"No," Sakura shook her head venomously this time. "It hasn't been good enough. I don't want what happened on the last mission to happen again."

Kakashi seemed to sigh this time as he began to understand what she was asking. "Are you sure?"

"Of course!" Sakura said with a bit more determination than she had felt earlier. "I need to be able to protect Sasuke-kun and Naruto, but right now I can't even protect myself. I need to become stronger."

"Alright," Kakashi said with a nod and a small eye crinkle. "What do you want to train in?"

"Well I thought I should probably train in taijutsu, speed, and storing chakra. I need those three things before I can even think about tackling ninjutsu."

"True," Kakashi said as his eye crinkled a little more. "When did you want to train?"

"Well I'm going to be training with a guy named Lee at night," Sakura said as she felt the tension in her shoulders leave. "I was hoping mornings would be okay with you."

"Lee huh?" Kakashi said as he let the name roll of his tongue. "That should be good for you; his sensei is one of the best taijutsu users in Konoha.

"And since I'm assuming he'll make you wear weights, we can use that to our advantage. Do you want to start tomorrow?"

Sakura smiled brightly at the silver haired man. "Yes, please." She said with a nod.

Kakashi smiled and rustled her hair. "We should probably go find the boys; I have something to tell you all."

Sakura nodded, but she felt a little embarrassed about seeing her teammates again. She had been so useless… she knew they thought of her as a complete weakling, and she knew she was. She just hated how disappointed they were in her; even if Naruto didn't act disappointed, she knew he was.

Walking back into town, Kakashi and Sakura stopped at the ramen stand. Sakura fought a small smile as she saw the blonde downing what looked to be his third bowl of ramen.

"Naruto," Kakashi called with a wave as he entered the small food stand. "We need to have a small training session and a meeting. Finish your bowl, and let's go find Sasuke."

Naruto slurped up the noodles in the bowl gracelessly, and Sakura shook her head softly; the blonde before her would never change.

"Hey Sakura-Chan!" Naruto yelled his greeting as he slammed some money down on the counter.

"Hi Naruto," Sakura said as she and Kakashi started to leave the stand. Naruto's eyes widened slightly as stared at the pinkette.

"Sakura-Chan?" Naruto asked without taking a step forward. "Are you alright? You didn't yell at me, or anything!"

Shaking her head slightly, Sakura just turned and gave the blonde a small smile; why was she always so mean to Naruto? "I'm fine Naruto."

The blonde before her blushed slightly, and Sakura knew it was because of the attention she was directing toward him. Sighing, she turned and continued to follow Kakashi. After a few minutes of shock and slight embarrassment, Naruto grinned before following after two of his teammates.

The three of them walked semi-quietly towards the Uchiha district; nothing was really that quiet when Naruto was around, but Sakura was actually impressed at how quiet the boy was trying to be. As the three arrived, Sakura felt a small pulse of Sasuke-kun's chakra. He seemed to be training in one of the training fields located in the district.

"Sasuke-teme!" Naruto yelled as the raven haired boy came into view. Sakura felt her heart clench as she watched Sasuke ignore their presence in favor of training; she wondered if he'd always be like this. She knew there would be no way the two would ever be able to get together, but that still made her heart hurt.

"Teme! Don't ignore us!" Naruto shouted as he ran towards Sasuke. Before Naruto could get to Sasuke, Kakashi intervened.

"Come on guys," Kakashi said with a grin. "I have something important to tell you, and then we'll all train!"

After hearing Kakashi's words, Sasuke stopped his training and walked over to where Kakashi and Sakura stood; he passed by Naruto giving the blonde a small sneer. Sakura frowned when she noticed Sasuke's eyes landed only on Kakashi; it was like she wasn't even there to him.

"Alright," Kakashi said. "So the Chuunin exams are coming up in a few weeks, and I'm going to enter you guys."

"Wow! HELL YEAH! Believe it!" Naruto yelled with an excited grin on his face. Blinking his eyes slightly, he looked back to Kakashi before scratching the back of his neck. "What are the Chuunin exams?"

"They're the exams that allow you to become a Chuunin, Naruto," Sakura said as she took in a breath. Did Kakashi really mean what he was saying? If he did, then she didn't have that much time to train.

At Sakura's dictionary answer, Sasuke's eyes flickered to her, and they paused briefly on her appearance. Sakura was too lost in her thoughts to notice, so when Sasuke spoke to her she was caught off guard.

"You cut your hair," Sasuke said in an indifferent tone. The random statement caught everyone off guard, but Naruto wasn't one to be left behind.

"Yeah!" the blonde yelled. "I noticed it earlier. I think it's really pretty Sakura-Chan!"

"It was just getting in the way," Sakura replied slightly surprised that Sasuke had brought up something so trivial. "Oh, and thanks Naruto. Are we going to start training, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yes-sir!" Kakashi said with a mock salute. "We should head over to training ground two."

Sakura nodded and followed the silver haired nin as they walked silently to the training ground. Behind the two, however, Naruto and Sasuke shared surprised looks (well Sasuke's look was more indifference mixed in with surprise).

"She wants to train?" Naruto asked as he watched Sakura and Kakashi's backs receding.

Xxx Quest: Finding Kakashi xxX

"Hn," Sasuke responded with a grunt. The raven haired male didn't know what to make of this new attitude in his pink haired teammate. He was surprised at first that she hadn't fawned over him like she usually did. The fawning had been even worse after the mission: after he had almost died. The fact that she: one didn't even greet him, two cut her hair and changed her clothes, and three wanted to train confused him to no end.

This was Sakura he was talking about; pink haired, girly girl Sakura who would do anything for him. At least that was what he wrote her off as. Her new attitude piqued his interests, but Sasuke wondered how long it would last.

Clearing his mind of his thoughts, Sasuke followed after Kakashi and Sakura. He didn't know why he had been thinking so intently about Sakura; it was stupid, and had nothing to do with his current goal. Gaining back control over his wandering thoughts, Sasuke's thoughts moved to only revenge and getting stronger. He shoved all thoughts of Sakura to the back of his mind, for now.


	3. A Night Session with Lee

Chapter 3: A Night Session with Lee

Hey friends, sorry for the long update drought. I hope you are all interested in this story! : ) thank you for all the reviews I have received thus far and reviews I will receive in the future.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

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><p>The training session had started out fairly normally. Kakashi-sensei had told Naruto and Sasuke to spar; the only thing that happened differently was that he also suggested Sakura and he spar. This was usually not the case, Sakura noted as she smiled largely. Kakashi usually told Sakura to work on her own as he helped tutor Sasuke and Naruto. The acknowledgement actually made her feel good, which was a huge change; it seemed her sensei was actually taking her serious.<p>

"You're sparring Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked with a semi-whine as he eyed the silver haired man. "Why can't you spar with me, Sensei? You're way stronger than Sasuke, and I want to face you!"

"Don't be stupid, idiot," Sasuke commented under his breath. "Kakashi is the only one who can control his power to make sure he doesn't hurt Sakura."

Sakura quickly lost her smile as she stood beside Kakashi-sensei; she didn't like what Sasuke had been implying. Of course, she knew she wouldn't be able to stand up against the boys in a sparring match, but that didn't mean she wasn't willing to try. As she watched Naruto and Sasuke walk away to begin their sparring match, Sakura promised herself she would beat both of them one day.

Turning to her sensei, Sakura noticed his frown mirrored her own. "They didn't mean it Sakura," he said quietly. "At least not how it sounded. They're boys, and you know how bad boys can be."

"Sure," Sakura said with a nod; the comment from Sasuke still stung. It would be something she would use throughout her training, though; it would be something to drive her to work harder. Turning her back to the blonde and brunette, Sakura's focus was on Kakashi.

"So let's begin with a sparring match so I can know the full depth of your skills," Kakashi said with a friendly smile. She knew the smile was to try to distract her from Sasuke's earlier comment, and it worked. Kakashi was really trying with her, and she really was grateful.

"Okay," Sakura said with a smile and a nod; she wouldn't completely forget Sasuke's comment, however, she would store it in the back of her mind and when she had the power to do something about it, she would. She would make Sasuke-kun eat those words.

"Okay," Kakashi said with a nod as he looked to Sakura. "Everything is game; use whatever you can use. Begin."

With that said, Sakura grabbed a few kunai and leaped back a few feet. She knew how fast her teacher could be, and she knew how slow she herself could be. Flinging a few kunai toward her silver haired teacher, Sakura tried to think up a strategy.

He had done this during their beginning test, and Kakashi had said they were supposed to work as a team to defeat him. Now that Sakura was all alone, she tried to think of something she could do.

She could do a substitution jutsu, but that could only get her so far… if she used it in a specific way, however, she could really hit two birds with one stone. All she needed to do was get closer to Sasuke and Naruto, concentrate, and try to get Kakashi to attack her with some type of jutsu.

Sakura grinned as she thought up a plan in her head; the plan really wouldn't show Kakashi everything she could do, but it would be something. Even though she had never tried it before, Sakura thought it would be something that, even if she failed, was worth trying. Now, all she had to do was get closer to Sasuke and Naruto's battle, and then she would try to put her plan into action. Shaking her head slightly at her own thinking, Sakura waited for Kakashi to attack; at least it would be something unexpected.

Kakashi did attack, but he did so in a way she wasn't expecting. He didn't send any jutsu towards her; he came at her with taijutsu. Sakura leaped backwards quickly as Kakashi sent a kick towards her head. Kakashi had obviously slowed his kick down as to give her time to jump away, but Sakura felt a little proud for dodging it.

But that didn't mean she was ready for the next kick that was sent her way. Crossing her arms in an attempt to lessen the blow, Sakura felt the kick impact and sent her flying… well this could be to my advantage, Sakura thought even as she was still in the air.

She was getting closer and closer to Sasuke and Naruto's match; though, the three males on her team didn't acknowledge it. Good for me, Sakura mused while grabbing another kunai. She was really impressed with how sharp the kunai she had gotten were. The kunai seemed to weigh less than the junk metal she had been holding earlier; it was easier to throw now.

Twirling a kunai in her hand, she quickly threw one towards Kakashi's right side. Watching as he jumped left, Sakura continued by firing another kunai towards his right side.

She knew he would have to retaliate soon, which is what she was hoping for. Grabbing yet another kunai, Sakura flung it this time at Kakashi's left; instead of dodging this one, he deflected the kunai away from his body with his own kunai.

And he doesn't know that little by little we're getting closer to Naruto and Sasuke-kun's battle, Sakura thought to herself as she fought a grin. In all reality, Sakura and Kakashi were only a few yards away; now would be her time to try something.

"I bet you can't hit me with a water jutsu, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura teased lightly while taking another step back; it was really amazing to her that he hadn't noticed her direction yet. Well, maybe he did, but didn't say anything?

Shrugging, Sakura looked defiantly towards Kakashi; oh Kami, she hoped this would work.

"You can barely dodge my kicks Sakura," Kakashi said with a sigh and a frown. "I don't think ninjutsu would be a good idea if you can't even defend yourself from my taijutsu."

"Give me a chance," Sakura called from a foot away from him. Seeing him nod slightly, she watched as he completed a few hand signs. Closing her eyes, Sakura quickly began her plan of action.

Bringing chakra to her hands, Sakura felt for the chakra of her two teammates that were watching her and Kakashi's battle from a few yards away; she was glad they weren't doing anything. She really didn't want to do this if those two were fighting.

As she felt Kakashi's chakra shift, and knew there was water shooting towards her, Sakura brought her hands together into the tiger seal. Flaring her chakra, Sakura felt her body shift as she moved away from its current position; substitutions were like that though. It was a weird sensation, and Iruka-sensei had explained it by saying it was like an "out-of-body experience."

She really hoped at this point in time, that another one of her teammates was experiencing an out of body experience as well. She had thought about it, and though she had never seen it done before, Sakura had tried to use Sasuke as her substitution.

Feeling her chakra flicker slightly, Sakura frowned when she opened her eyes and found she was standing in the same place as she had been before. She watched as the water bullet, a small projectile that had been shot out of Kakashi's mouth, splashed against her chest. She was knocked backward with the force, but she quickly stood and looked to her sensei, who was regarding her with a slightly weary frown.

"Did you try to use a substitution jutsu?" Kakashi questioned with a slight frown; oh, she knew he probably thought she was really weak if she couldn't do a correct replacement jutsu.

"Kind of," she said with a slight shrug of her shoulders. "I tried to replace Sasuke-kun's body with my body; I've never done that type of replacement before…"

Sakura watched as Kakashi's eyes shined with something she couldn't place; he had never looked at her like that before. "You did try," Kakashi said with a nod. "And it was a good try; I didn't know what you were doing at first, but after you telling me, I think I can see where it went wrong. You needed to know Sasuke's chakra system a little better than you already do. It's all about sensing chakra, and being able to replace it; I'll teach you how to do that when making a clone tomorrow.

"I'm actually kind of proud that you tried to do something new, Sakura," Kakashi said with a smile. Ah, so that was what that weird gleam in his eye had been: pride. It was a wonder she had never seen it before…

"Thanks Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said with a smile and a nod; she could do this. Looking down to her clothes, she shrugged slightly as the water dripped off of her; Kakashi could have done a lot more damage.

"Ready to spar again?" Kakashi questioned as he drew out a kunai from his pouch.

Sakura nodded while drawing her dagger from its sheath. "Always."

XxxX

Sakura arrived home a few hours later doused in sweat and feeling, for the most part, completely content with herself. She had never trained like that before, and even though she knew one day of training wasn't going to help her in the long run, she was proud of herself.

She and Kakashi had sparred together for a few hours, and then he had tried to show her a few things after that. The two of them had even been out training long after Sasuke and Naruto had left to go back home. But now, she and Kakashi's training session was finished; he had sent her home with a pat on the back and a weird little smile she had now associated with Kakashi as a kind of pride-like expression.

She had just enough time to make some dinner and take a shower before she needed to meet up with that Lee guy again. He seemed nice enough, and when she told Kakashi-sensei about him, Kakashi-sensei seemed to be more than encouraging.

And he was enthusiastic enough Sakura thought with a weary grin; she kind of wondered what he would be like as a mentor, or a senpai. She would soon find out, Sakura thought as she went through her kitchen to find something to eat. Not finding anything, she sighed before deciding to take a shower. She could always find something to eat after she showered.

Walking up the stairs in her house, Sakura quickly stripped out of her clothes and walked to the shower. Her muscles ached, but Sakura assumed it would be an ache she would become familiar with overtime. Smiling to herself, she quickly showered before changing into a different outfit. This one consisted of black shorts and a lavender colored tank top.

Grabbing her kunai pouch, Sakura quickly left her house before she got too comfortable. After not hearing her parents moving around the house, she assumed they had not returned from their latest business trip; no matter, she thought quietly. Her parents didn't really understand why she had become a ninja, and why she hadn't pursued life as a simple merchant. Sakura assumed all this late night training would worry them, and she was glad the two hadn't returned yet.

Walking down the street, Sakura smiled as she walked to the ramen stand. It had been a while since she had been there alone, meaning without Sasuke and Naruto, but she was more than happy to be eating alone. Pushing the curtains apart so she could enter, Sakura found herself smiling before she even entered.

However, she stopped as soon as she heard a familiar voice. "She seemed different today," she heard a voice say through a mouthful of noodles. Sakura could practically picture what her blonde haired teammate looked like. Smiling a little larger, Sakura put the curtains back to the way they were before she took a step back.

It wasn't like she was really avoiding them… she just wanted to hear what they had to say. Sasuke and Naruto were usually honest with her, but she was curious to see what they thought of her new motivation.

"Hn," she heard Sasuke mutter over a bowl of noodles; she was surprised the two boys were actually having dinner together. Sasuke and Naruto usually acted like they didn't want anything to do with one another. "It's probably just an act. I wouldn't be surprised if she'd be back to normal tomorrow; there is no way she has the motivation to keep this up for long."

Naruto seemed to make a noise of agreement over another mouthful of noodles… they didn't believe in her. Taking another step away from the ramen stand, Sakura felt utterly horrible. They would probably never believe in her.

Taking in a deep breath, Sakura turned her back on the ramen stand and started towards the training field. She could afford to skip dinner… she just felt so hollow at the moment she wasn't even hungry. She knew Sasuke would have had a difficult time thinking she could get stronger, but Naruto too? Naruto seemed to always believe in her… it hurt. They would never view her as an equal.

She knew that she hadn't been much of a ninja her first twelve years of life, but she refused to just stop now. She would keep up these training sessions, and she would become stronger even if her teammates didn't believe in her. When the time came, they would be the ones watching her back as she got stronger.

Feeling her eyes start to wet, Sakura desperately tried to shake her head to fight the flow of tears that threatened to fall. Stupid males, Sakura thought sadly as she walked to the training ground. Sighing, Sakura wiped the tears out of her eyes, and continued forward. She couldn't just give up; she had done that too many times before. She needed to do this.

Maybe she could start training by herself while she waited for Lee. It was a thought that seemed to distract her from her previous ones. Nodding, Sakura walked up to the training area and began to stretch.

The sun was currently setting, and the night sky seemed to bring a bit of hope that she had lost during the day. Leaning forward to stretch her back and reach for her toes, Sakura felt a chakra signature race towards her. It was one she recognized, so she didn't feel too threatened by it.

"Hello my youthful cherry blossom!" Lee practically sang as he leaped through the trees. Sakura smiled slightly at his antics and had to fight the giggle that threatened to escape; this boy that stood before her was a little ridiculous.

He stood in his patent green jumpsuit with orange leg warmers. He had a large smile on his face, and his thumbs were currently in the thumbs up pose; she wondered if he was like this at all times.

"Hi Lee," Sakura said as she stood from her stretching position. Walking over to where the black haired man stood, Sakura was surprised to find he was carrying something; how hadn't she noticed it before?

"These are your weights!" Lee said as his eyes sparkled. "They are the first ones I used when I started my training with Gai-sensei. I hope they are not too heavy for your delicate frame and body."

Grabbing the weights from Lee, she noticed that they weighed a little more than five pounds. It wasn't so much that she would be able to notice it right away, but Sakura knew she would be feeling the strain of the weights after the training session was over.

"Let me help you put these on!" Lee said while taking the ankle weights. Putting them on her, Sakura noticed the difference in weight right away.

"So how long am I supposed to leave these on for Lee?" Sakura asked as she lifted her arm. The weight was foreign, and she didn't know how long he would be able to leave these on for.

"You only take them off to sleep!" Lee said with a smile as he finished tightening the last weight. "You'll get used to them though; don't worry. And when you get used to those ones, I can give you new ones!"

"Alright," Sakura said with a nod. Lee made her forget about what her teammates had been saying; he gave her a lot of hope. "So how are we going to start this?"

"Did you stretch yet?" Lee asked with a tilt of his head. When Sakura nodded he immediately started running. "Then we'll run once around Konoha. I usually do more than that, but for your training we'll start off light. After that we'll practice some taijutsu!"

The only thing Sakura could do was follow behind Lee faithfully. He was one of the only ones to believe in her, and if he was going to help her get stronger, she thought she might as well do as he said.


	4. Less Concentration More Instinct

Hey guys, sorry for the update drought. I've been really focused on my other story (A Chance Encounter) and have not been updating this one as much as I should. I promise I will do my best to try and update this more! Reviews are always appreciated! Now, please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter Four: Less Concentration More Instinct

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><p>Sakura's eyes opened and she couldn't prevent the tired sigh that escaped her. She was exhausted; the training session with Lee had gone well into the early morning hours. The training session had been completely eye opening. Sakura hadn't realized that there were Genin out there that were probably stronger than Sasuke-kun… Lee-senpai was so fast and strong; she had never seen someone use taijutsu in the way he had.<p>

Rolling out of bed, Sakura practically dragged herself to her bathroom. Her muscles ached with every move that she made, but Sakura tried her best to ignore the pain. She was supposed to meet Kakashi-sensei for a morning training session; the two of them were going to go over how to make a clone (which she could already do, thanks to the academy), and sensing chakra. To tell the truth, Sakura was more than excited to start sensing people's chakra better. She could already do a pretty good job, but she knew she would have to do a better job if she wanted to get stronger.

As Sakura turned on the shower head and stripped out of her clothes, she tried to ignore the discouraging words Naruto and Sasuke-kun had spoken about her the night before... Naruto and Sasuke-kun were the two people that she wanted to be strong for, but they were also the two people that didn't believe in her at all.

Sakura felt tears fall as her face hit the running water from the shower. She was so frustrated with the two! She understood that she was weak, but wouldn't they want to help her get stronger? If she were stronger, then it would make the whole team stronger!

Washing up quickly, Sakura ignored the tears as she got out of the shower. Walking to her closet, Sakura decided she had more important things to do today than cry and throw herself a pity party. Steeling herself, Sakura picked a dark blue tank top and some dark red biker shorts. Wrapping her kunai pouch around her right thigh, Sakura then quickly put on her new weights.

The weights on her wrists and ankles felt foreign to her still, even though she had trained with them the night before. Grabbing her head band, Sakura decided to check her parent's room to see if they had returned. The two had been away for over three weeks now, and Sakura wondered when the two would be finally coming home. After opening their bedroom door, Sakura shrugged slightly with a frown; the two weren't home yet.

This was fairly common for the pinkette. Her mother and father would be gone majority of the year, especially during the summer and holidays. It was lonely sometimes, but she had to be grateful that she had parents; both of her teammates did not, and she wouldn't forget that.

Grabbing a pear from the kitchen island, Sakura frowned. She hadn't found the time to get groceries yesterday with all of the chaos that had been going on. Biting into her pear, Sakura promised herself she would go pick up some between one of her training sessions.

Walking out the door, Sakura noticed the sun had just risen. She was a little early to meet Kakashi-sensei, so Sakura decided to take the long route. Walking over to the red bridge where Team Seven usually met up, Sakura shook her head slightly before stopping to rest against the bridge. Looking over the small creek that was under the bridge, Sakura's eyes caught sight of someone she had not seen in a while.

Grinning slightly, Sakura walked over to where said person lay. The brunette headed male's eyes were closed and his arms were leaned casually behind his back. Knowing the male wasn't asleep, but probably didn't want to be bothered, Sakura sat beside him.

"…If you're going to say anything about Ino or her beloved _'Sasuke-kun'_ I don't want to hear it," the Nara grumbled under his breath. Sakura's grin widened before she looked over to the male. His eyes were still closed, but his posture was stiffer than it had been.

"I don't want to talk about either of those Shikamaru," Sakura said honestly as she enjoyed the morning sun. "I'm just surprised you're already awake and out here is all."

Shikamaru grunted before his posture relaxed. "My dad challenged me to a game of Go, and I lost. When I lost he told me I had to wake up early every day for a week," Shikamaru said with a sigh. "If he lost he was going to have to do my chores for a week."

"Go?" Sakura questioned as her eyes shone slightly. "That's a strategy game right?"

She watched Shikamaru nod his head slightly. "If you're waking up early every day for the rest of the week, then maybe you'd like to play Go with me before my training session with Kakashi-sensei."

"… I guess it would beat just laying here waiting for the clouds," Shikamaru muttered before finally opening his eyes. Sakura smiled as she saw chocolate brown eyes.

"Great!" She said while standing. "I'm going to be heading to the training grounds now, but maybe tomorrow you'd like to come over to my house early for our game? My parents aren't home, and I can make us some tea."

In response, Shikamaru's eyes closed and he nodded once. The smile on Sakura's face grew as she started to walk away. Shikamaru had always been the smartest one in her class, and now she was going to play Go against him. She knew she would be learning a lot, even from just watching the way he did things. She hoped this would help her in the long run.

The walk to the training grounds was short, and Sakura was surprised to find she was the second one there. Kakashi-sensei had already arrived, and it looked like he had arrived more than a few minutes ago. The silver haired male was currently leaned up against a tree with his notorious orange book out; Sakura wondered what the book was about.

"Good morning Kakashi-sensei," Sakura called as she walked closer to the male. "I can't believe you're early!"

"Hai," Kakashi-sensei said as he stood from his location on the tree. He pocketed the orange book into his kunai pouch. "I figured I would give you as much attention as I could; you seemed pretty serious yesterday about training."

"I am," Sakura said as determination filled her eyes. "I have a lot to prove to my team… I don't want to be the weakest person on the team any longer."

Nodding Kakashi took a step forward and eyed her weights. "I'm glad you remembered to wear them; how do they feel?"

"Different," Sakura said honestly as she lifted her left arm up and down. "Lee-senpai said it was only a little more than five pounds, but it's starting to make my limbs ache a little bit already."

"As it should," Kakashi said with a nod. "It's added weight, Sakura.

"But let's get started," Kakashi spoke again. "I already am aware you know how to make a clone; to graduate the academy one must make a clone. I need you to make one for me right now; try to use as little chakra as possible."

Nodding, Sakura brought her hands into the tiger seal. The pinkette concentrated on not putting too much chakra into her clone, just as much as was needed. Putting chakra into her hands, Sakura felt a puff of smoke next to her and could tell she had created a clone.

"Good," Kakashi said with a nod as Sakura dismissed the clone. "I knew you were the best on our team with chakra control. You used very little chakra to create the clone, but you still exerted a little bit too much chakra. You yourself said you don't have much chakra. If you don't have a lot, and are not going to get a lot soon, you need to make sure you use your chakra sparingly."

"Okay," Sakura said with a nod. "So I need to concentrate more on using less chakra?"

"Kind of," Kakashi said with a slight nod. "But I want you to not need to concentrate while doing this; I want it to become like second nature to you: instinct. When you, Sasuke, and Naruto are going to be in the chunnin exams I don't think you'll have time to concentrate when someone else is attacking you."

"Okay," Sakura said with a slightly confused face. "How am I going to learn that then?"

"Well," Kakashi said with a slight grin. "Since you were already able to walk on trees without your hands, I'm going to try something different. You're going to learn how to walk on water."

Sakura's eyes shone brightly as she remembered something. "Like you did when you were fighting Zabuza for the first time," Sakura said with a grin. "Okay, I think I can do that."

The weird look on Kakashi's face from the day before returned, but this time it had a little bit of an evil look to it. "Walking on water takes a lot more concentration than walking on a tree does, Sakura," Kakashi said.

"But I thought you didn't want me to concentrate?" Sakura's voice was filled with confusion.

"Exactly."

Xxx Less Concentration More Instinct xxX

Sakura tried to wring out her clothes the best she could; it had been two hours since her training with Kakashi-sensei had begun, and the pinkette was drenched in water. Kakashi had created a small pond for Sakura to try to walk on with a water jutsu, and then told her to try her best. Sakura had been confident at first, balancing out her chakra the same way she did when she climbed up the tree, but within a second she had fallen into the water.

After a few tries of this, Sakura looked over to her silver haired sensei and asked him to explain how he was able to walk on water.

"It's all about dispersing your chakra around correctly," the male had told her. "You cannot use the same amount of chakra in each part of your foot because the water is always changing."

It had taken Sakura fifteen more tries before she had decided to take a break, which is what she was currently doing.

"You can't plan to get everything mastered on the first try," Kakashi-sensei said to her as he sat beside her.

"I guess you're right," Sakura said with a sigh. "But I feel like I need to. I'm so far behind Sasuke-kun and Naruto; I just wish I could catch up quickly."

"It's going to take time," Kakashi-sensei said with a sigh. "I'm impressed at your progress though; that last one you almost stayed up for five seconds."

"That was when I thought least about what I was doing," Sakura admitted with a slight grin. "Maybe I shouldn't concentrate as much as I usually do."

Kakashi chuckled before nodding. "Now we have an hour or so before we meet up with the boys," Kakashi said after looking up at the sun. "Are you going to go home and change?"

"No," Sakura said with a shake of her head. "I need to get groceries, and something to snack on; hopefully it can help refill a little of my chakra."

Sakura watched as Kakashi-sensei nodded before walking off. Standing up from her position on the ground, Sakura found it pretty hard to actually move. Her muscles were still sore from the training with Lee-senpai the night before.

Cringing slightly, Sakura started to make her way towards town. As she walked, she started to list the things she knew she needed. Rice, tea, dango, tomatoes, ramen, salmon, apples, pears, pickles, and pockey, Sakura thought as the grocery store came into sight. She also needed miso soup and anko dumplings.

Nodding her head slightly, she grabbed a cart as she entered the store. Walking to the produce aisle, Sakura was surprised to find Sasuke-kun standing near the tomatoes.

Deciding to ignore the male, Sakura grabbed the items she needed before heading towards the tomatoes. She didn't really need the tomatoes, but she had planned to make tomato soup later in the week. Going to the side to Sasuke-kun's right, Sakura grabbed seven tomatoes before she started to head up a different aisle. As she did this, she heard Sasuke-kun's quiet footfalls follow her.

"Why are you all wet?" Sakura heard from behind her. Turning to look over her shoulder, Sakura felt the urge to yell at the male who stood before her.

The things he had said the night before had been hurtful, and even if he didn't think she would be hearing them didn't mean he should have said them. She was working on it, damn it.

"Training," Sakura said easily as she continued her way to grab the rice. Hearing Sasuke-kun's footsteps follow her again, Sakura sighed before turning fully around to face him.

"What's on your ankles and wrists?"

Kami, Sakura thought as she gripped her shopping basket a little more tightly, when was the last time Sasuke-kun had talked to her so much? She was sure if it had been before the Wave mission, Sakura herself would have died from all the attention. Now, however, Sakura found it to be slightly annoying, especially when Sasuke-kun looked at her with his emotionless mask on; he didn't really care, he just wanted to know.

"Weights," Sakura said the word just as quickly as she had said the one before it. The female looked away from Sasuke and continued down the aisle. She collected the things she needed before heading to the checkout lane. Feeling her teammate stand behind her in line caused a slight chill to go down her spine.

She could tell she had irritated the raven haired male, but Sakura wasn't really worried about that. The male had done more than irritate her the night before, even if he didn't know it.

As Sakura placed her things down in front of the cashier, Sakura smiled as the cashier smiled at her. He was probably a little bit older than she was, and he seemed friendly.

"Just a few things this time?" The male asked with a grin as he started to ring up Sakura's food. Just as the male was finishing, a large pile of tomatoes was added to the pile of food.

"Hn," Sasuke-kun said. "These too."

As Sakura was about to question Sasuke-kun about why she was going to pay for his tomatoes, Sasuke-kun took a wad of bills out and paid the cashier the correct amount. Raising an eyebrow, Sakura watched as her teammate collected the bags and started to walk out of the grocery store.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura called as the male quickened his pace. "Wait, where are you going?"

"Your house," Sasuke-kun spoke easily. Sakura shook her head slightly before she fell into step with her raven haired teammate.

"What was that back there?" Sakura questioned as the two turned down a few streets before her home came in view.

"Hn," Sasuke-kun spoke as the two arrived at her door. Sakura was more than a little confused with his actions, but she tried not to overthink them. Of course she still crushed over the male before her; she was in love with Sasuke-kun, but that didn't mean she wasn't still mad at him, because she totally was.

Opening the door to her house, she let Sasuke-kun walk in before closing the door behind him. She kicked off her ninja sandals before leading the way to her kitchen. Sakura watched as Sasuke-kun placed her bags on the kitchen island before heading back the way he came.

Sakura followed him as he opened the front door and started to leave.

"Um, well thanks Sasuke-Kun," Sakura called after him as the door shut.

Xxx Less Concentration More Instinct xxX

He wasn't quite sure himself why he had bought her groceries. He had been pondering what to make for dinner that night when Sakura had suddenly appeared near the tomatoes. The girl had been drenched in water, and Sasuke was more than a little curious (and maybe a little concerned) on why she looked the way she did.

And so he had decided to ask, which had not been a Sasuke thing to do. And when she had given him a short answer, which had not been a Sakura thing to do, Sasuke didn't know how to feel or what to do. So he followed her. Down the next aisle he had noticed new cloth on her wrists and ankles and wondered what they were there for. He wasn't stupid, he knew they weren't a new fashion statement; they had tares on them and looked to be used.

He had been surprised when she had said they were weights. Was she really serious about training? He and Naruto had both agreed over dinner that she wasn't, but seeing her today, maybe she was?

He hadn't quite known what to do when she practically blew him off for a second time by walking away again. He hadn't been done questioning her yet…

Following her to the checkout line, Sasuke had immediately noticed the older boy's stare, and he had not liked it one bit. Sasuke didn't know why he hadn't liked the older male smiling at Sakura, he just hadn't.

So, to get them both out of there as quickly as he could he had paid for all of their combined food, grabbed the bags and walked out.

He hadn't been thinking obviously, but he wasn't going to admit that to Sakura. As he walked her home and she questioned his motives, he didn't have an answer for her: he just went by instinct, which really was something he didn't usually do.

Shaking his head slightly, Sasuke headed to the training grounds. Once again, he had been thinking about Sakura when he should have been more focused on his goal. Revenge against Itachi should be the only thing on my mind, Sasuke reminded himself. And as thoughts of Sakura floated away again, Sasuke only pictured the numerous ways he could kill his brother.


	5. Meeting the Suna Genin

Hey all! This chapter flowed out of me in two nights : ) I'm hoping that means I'll be able to update more, but we'll see. Writers block is a terrible thing my friends, and even if I know exactly where I want my story to go, sometimes it's hard getting there.

Thank you all for being patient with me, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Meeting Suna Genin

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><p>Sakura was still in slight awe as she closed the door to her house. Sasuke-Kun was acting very un-Sasuke-Kun like. Then again, Sakura thought, she herself was not acting very Sakura like. Maybe this new attitude of hers would be affecting her teammates in a positive way? Even if Sasuke-Kun was weirding her out, he was being a little more social right? That had to account for something.<p>

Sakura couldn't help but smile when she thought about her team changing in a more positive way. Maybe she could invite her team over for dinner before her night training with Lee-senpai? Two-thirds of them were probably definitely going to say no, but Sakura figured she might as well invite them…

As she thought about it, Team Seven didn't know each other extensively well. Kakashi-sensei might be all for this "team-building" idea she had just come up with.

Fighting a grin, Sakura started to walk down the streets of Konoha. She had a little time left until her team's training session started, and Sakura decided to take the long way around the village. If she had any luck maybe she could find Naruto along the way… It would be a good idea to have the blond on board with her dinner idea.

Stretching her senses, Sakura concentrated on trying to pinpoint Naruto's chakra. Naruto's chakra network was always very erratic, and she could find it easily when she concentrated enough. Feeling the blond's chakra only a few blocks away, Sakura speed walked to his location.

Finding him in an alley way with a group of academy students, Sakura couldn't help but smile slightly.

"Come on Naruto!" Konohamaru said with an accusing finger. "You promised us you'd play ninja with us today!"

"Oh did I say that?" Naruto asked as he rubbed the back of his neck nonchalantly. Sakura sighed before stepping beside him. She smiled at the younger generation before speaking.

"Naruto actually can't 'play ninja' today," Sakura said carefully trying to fight a smirk. Really, a genin playing ninja? Sakura really hoped the three weren't being serious… "We have to meet our sensei for an actual training session."

The attention Sakura was putting on Naruto caused the blond's cheeks to turn red. Sakura ignored this as she looked to the children in front of them.

"Who's the girl, Boss?" Konohamaru asked with a casual, curious look. "Is she your girlfriend?"

"Konohamaru!" Naruto yelled loudly with a nervous laugh; Sakura noticed the blush on his cheeks darken. "Sakura and I are-"

"Because she has kind of a big forehead," Konohamaru said while he looked confused. "And those pieces of cloth around her arms and legs look weird… I dunno if she should be the one for you, Boss."

"Hey you take that back!" Naruto yelled while he punched Konohamaru on the back of the head. "Sakura-Chan is very pretty and her forehead is the perfect size! I dunno what the cloth is for, but don't make fun of her!"

Trying to dodge Naruto's punch, Konohamaru started running forward. Sakura frowned as she watched Naruto chase after the brunette headed boy; why did everyone have to comment on her forehead? Bringing a hand up to her forehead, Sakura shook her head slightly before following after the two.

She could feel a few different chakra signatures in the direction Naruto and Konohamaru were heading. The chakra signatures were new to her, and Sakura didn't trust them. Increasing her speed, Sakura raised an eyebrow at the group of two in front of her.

Glancing over the two easily, Sakura's hand moved to her dagger that dangled next to her hand; she allowed it to rest on the hilt somewhat casually. Sakura was surprised at how casual she was being when discovering two unknown Suna shinobi in her village.

"Apologize brat," the male of the two shinobi said. He was wearing all black and had purple face paint over his cheeks and his mouth. Sakura saw a large object on the male's back wrapped in white tape; Sakura knew instantly it was a weapon of some sort.

Sakura's hand on her dagger stiffened as she took a step forward. As she did, the male grabbed the front of Konohamaru's shirt and lifted him off of the ground.

"Put him down Kankuro," the blonde with four buns said while her eyes scanned the area. Frowning, Sakura scanned the area with her chakra and instantly recognized Sasuke-kun's chakra in a tree a few yards from their location. Sasuke-kun was probably trying to wait to see what was going to happen, much like she herself was doing.

Noticing the fear in the blonde's eyes, Sakura frowned and scanned the area with her chakra again; this time she concentrated more and she froze when she felt a well hidden signature.

She had overlooked it at first because the person had been concealing it so well, but after focusing more, Sakura could feel the chakra was dark, and in a weird way reminded her of Naruto's. The chakra seemed to be pulsating a need for bloodlust; that part reminded her more of Zabuza's chakra than Naruto's though.

Shivering slightly, Sakura's eyes moved to the tree beside them. She allowed her eyes to pass over Sasuke and then land on the male that stood upside down on a branch above him. The boy had deep red hair and black rings around his eyes. Even seeing the Suna headband across the strap of his gourd, Sakura had a hard time believing he was actually from the desert. The boy was pale beyond belief and looked completely haunted.

Flinching slightly when she connected her eyes with his, Sakura immediately switched her position to a defensive stance Lee had been drilling her on the night before. Biting her lip out of nervousness, Sakura decided to speak for the group. She directed her words towards Kankuro, who was tightening his hold on Konohamaru.

"Hey," Sakura said still a little spooked. She knew that this situation would not end well, especially if the red haired male got involved. The shiver that ran down her back proved that the red head was still watching her; she wanted to run. "I'm sorry… the whole thing is a misunderstanding. I'm sure Konohamaru didn't mean to run into you. Can you-"

"You better take your hands off of him right now!" Naruto interrupted Sakura, and Sakura couldn't stop the glare she sent him. She had been trying to be patient and diplomatic with the group before her; Konoha and Suna ties weren't the greatest even if they were allies.

"We got a few minutes before _he _gets here," Kankuro said with a grin as he looked to the blonde girl. Sakura shivered knowing who the _he _Kankuro was talking about, and the fact that they _did not_ have a few minutes. "Let's mess with them a little bit."

"Put him down!" Naruto yelled as he started running forward. Sakura's eyes trained themselves on Kankuro as he used one hand to make a weird motion. After a few steps Naruto was sent hurtling backwards.

Sakura's eyebrow rose as she felt a little bit of chakra flow through the air. Kankuro had used chakra to trip Naruto, but the chakra he used had not been a jutsu… it seemed that the weird hand motion Kankuro had just used had been significant for some reason. Sakura's hand dropped off of her dagger and she took a few steps forward to help Naruto stand.

"What the- What was that?" Naruto accused.

"You Leaf genin are a bunch of wimps," Kankuro sneered while he lifted Konohamaru higher into the air. Sakura frowned at the male before she felt Sasuke's chakra twitch. It seemed Kankuro's comment had ticked Sasuke-kun off a little bit; it ticked her off too, to be honest.

"That's it!" Naruto called as he took a step away from Sakura. "Let him go right now, or I'm going to kick your ass!"

"You're annoying…" Kankuro said with a nod in Naruto's direction. "I don't like runts or scrawny weaklings. When a runt starts running his mouth, I want to pulverize him."

Kankuro's fist was brought back, and Sakura felt instinct pull her to move. Taking a step forward, Sakura froze when she saw a rock being thrown directly at Kankuro. Sakura tried to smile, but couldn't find it in herself to do so. The rock connected with Kankuro's hand and Sakura knew immediately who had thrown it. All eyes turned to Sasuke-kun, and Sakura's worry increased when she realized no one else other than her had sensed their other guest… not even Sasuke-kun.

"You guys were taking too long," Sasuke-kun commented while he tossed another rock up and down in his hand. He ignored the Suna shinobi as he directed his conversation to Naruto and Sakura.

"Another wimp?" Kankuro accused with an annoyed sigh.

Sasuke's attention moved from his teammates to Kankuro as the Uchiha glared. "Get lost."

"You're the kind of punk I dislike the most," Kankuro said with a glare. "All attitude and nothing to back it up. Get down here and then we'll really decide who is stronger."

With that said, Kankuro unraveled the weapon on his back and leaned it casually on the ground. Sakura noticed immediately that the blonde that stood behind Kankuro looked worried.

"You're going to use the Crow, now?" She asked as sweat dripped down her face. Sakura understood her nervousness; if Kankuro actually attacked them here some people could take it as an attack on Konoha. His action could cause war between the two countries.

"Kankuro… back off," a dark voice spoke from a little ways behind Sasuke-kun. Sakura watched as Sasuke-kun stiffened, which reinforced the fact that he had not been able to sense the red head before. Sakura noticed with apprehension that Kankuro and the blonde had also seemed surprised; the look of fear on their face made it clear the red head was something to be afraid of. "You're an embarrassment to our village."

"…Hey Gaara," Kankuro said as he tried to smile, but his attempt had been forced. So Gaara was his name, Sakura thought as she watched the male with growing caution. She'd file the name in the back of her mind and ask Kakashi-sensei about it later.

"Do you remember why we came here?" Gaara's voice asked as his eyes glared.

"Of course I-"

"Shut up," Gaara answered harshly, and Sakura felt the chill from his words. "Or I'll kill you.

"I'm sorry for any trouble he caused," Gaara continued directing his eyes to Sasuke and then to Sakura. Sakura felt herself freeze again as Gaara disappeared in a whirl of sand and appeared in front Kankuro and the blonde. "Let's get going; we've spent enough time here."

"Wait a minute," Sakura called as she found her voice once more. She watched as the red head paused and turned to look at her. "I cannot allow you to walk any further into Konoha without seeing your passes. Konoha and Suna are allies, but one can never be too careful."

Really, Sakura just wanted to know their names. She knew that anbu weren't sloppy enough to miss the three chakra signatures… It was actually very likely the group was going to participate in the Chuunin exams, and Sakura was going to try to get as much information on them as possible. Knowledge was power after all.

The blonde pulled out a pass from her pocket and showed it to Sakura. Sakura scanned it filling the name "Temari Sabaku" away.

"As you can see we're here on official business," Temari explained after putting her pass away. "We're trying out for the Chuunin exams that are occurring in the next few weeks."

"How ironic," Sakura muttered as Sasuke landed next to her with a small thud. "We're going to be taking them too."

"Identify yourself," Sasuke-kun demanded as he looked at Gaara. "You… the one with the gourd."

"My name is Gaara Sabaku," Gaara stated as his eyes connected with Sasuke's. "I'm curious as to what your name is too… yours and hers."

"Sakura-Chan's?" Naruto asked in confusion as he looked back to Gaara. Sakura's eyes widened slightly at the amount of attention she was gathering from all parties.

"She was able to detect me," Gaara stated simply while looking Sakura in the face. The shock that appeared on Kankuro and Temari's face made it seem like that didn't happen too often. Sakura frowned before dipping her head slightly.

"Sakura Haruno," Sakura found herself saying as she took in a deep breath; having someone like Gaara's focus on her could not be good. She looked over to Sasuke-kun and realized he was thinking along the lines of the same thing.

"Sasuke Uchiha," Sasuke-kun said to break the attention away from Sakura.

"I'll be waiting to fight you at the exams, Sasuke Uchiha," Gaara muttered before he nodded to the two beside him.

Sakura gave Sasuke-kun a grateful look before she watched the ninjas turn and then jump away. Sakura took in a deep breath and allowed herself to relax when the three ninja were out of sight.

"You could sense him?" Sasuke-kun asked her as his eyes scanned her features. Sakura only nodded once before she looked to the sun.

"Kakashi-sensei will probably be at the training grounds waiting for us," Sakura said with a thoughtful look. "We should probably get going."

"Aw, Boss, do you really have to go?" Konohamaru asked trying to brush off what had just happened. Sakura was still able to notice the scared and confused look in his brown eyes. Sakura felt for the boy; there was no way he should have had to deal with that at his age.

Taking a step forward, Sakura put her hand on Konohamaru's shoulder. "We do," she said with a small smile. "But I'm sure Naruto can play ninja with you later… right Naruto?"

"Ah, sure," Naruto said rubbing the back of his head.

"Play… Ninja...?"

"Don't worry about it Sasuke-kun," Sakura said with a larger grin. At least Naruto had the decency to look embarrassed.

Xxx Meeting Suna Genin xxX

As the group of three arrived at the training grounds, Sakura wasn't surprised to find Kakashi waiting for them. When she had asked to take on more training he had been appearing more on time. It was strange, but Sakura was pretty sure that was his way of supporting her, so she'd take it.

"I hope you aren't starting to gain my habits" Kakashi mused as he looked down at his orange book. Sakura smiled at his comment before looking at Naruto's face; the blond seemed troubled.

"There were three Suna shinobi, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said as his frown deepened. "They said they were going to take the Chuunin exams… I don't know why, but I don't trust them."

"Ah, so you ran into fellow genin who are taking the exam?" Kakashi looked amused. "This will happen a lot over the next two weeks."

"The red head… Gaara," Naruto continued still looking troubled. "He seemed really strong Kakashi-sensei. Like freaky strong, and his team was afraid of him; his own team! I don't know what will happen if we meet-"

"You sound like a dobe, Dobe," Sasuke muttered to relieve tension. Sakura was grateful for Sasuke-kun's interruption because Naruto was beginning to not act like Naruto. Kami-sama she was starting to get worried.

"Who are you calling Dobe, Teme!" Naruto yelled instantly launching himself at Sasuke. Looking to Kakashi-sensei Sakura found his eyes on her.

"They were three ninja from Suna," Sakura said with a flight frown. "The red head Naruto is talking about is Gaara Sabaku; I was hoping to ask you about him when we got the chance… Now seems as good a time as any."

"Just because I'm a jounin doesn't mean I know everyone, Sakura-Chan," Kakashi said with a tilt to his cheeks; he was smiling at her. "I'll keep that name though and ask around; he spooked you too?"

"Sasuke-kun, Naruto, or his own teammates couldn't even detect his chakra earlier," Sakura said feeling a little uncomfortable. She kept scanning the area for his chakra signature; even after the walk to the training grounds Sakura still felt eyes on her.

"Interesting," Kakashi said as his eyebrow rose in consideration. "But you were able to, correct?"

"On my second attempt," Sakura hummed, and the look of pride appeared on Kakashi's face again; Sakura was getting more and more comfortable with that look.

"If Sasuke couldn't detect him then your sensory skills are even better than I had originally thought," Kakashi mused. "Though that shouldn't be a surprise with your chakra control; the ability to sense chakra was never tested in the academy… I wonder how good your abilities are."

Sakura found her cheeks reddening at Kakashi's praise. "I hadn't been able to sense Zabuza," Sakura said as she chanced a glance at her teammates. Naruto and Sasuke both looked a little put out by the way Kakashi was giving her attention and praise; if Sakura wasn't so embarrassed she would have bathed in their glares.

"Zabuza was a jounin," Kakashi responded with a slight tsk. "You wouldn't be a genin still if you could have sensed Zabuza.

"Now, on to more important matters," Kakashi said as he put his orange book in his pouch. "We have to work on some team building exercises to help you three get ready for the upcoming exams. The most important part of the Chuunin exam is to remember that you are all a team until the final round. If any one of you fail in the first two rounds your teammates will fail."

Naruto, Sasuke-kun and Sakura froze at Kakashi's last sentence. "What do the different rounds include?" Sasuke-kun was the first one to speak.

"The first one will most likely be written," Kakashi said as he looked thoughtfully at his genins. "And ask a bunch of questions you should have learned in the academy. Sakura will start to tutor you Naruto… The second round will probably be a team survival and skills test. For this part we'll be training together for the next few days."

"Why do I have to be tutored Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto whined with a frown. "I know a lot of cool stuff from the academy!"

"Don't be stupid, Dobe," Sasuke-kun said with a slight glare. "Kakashi-sensei said if we don't all pass the first round then none of us can become Chuunin."

"It won't be so bad," Sakura said with a slight shrug. "We can do it over dinner if you want. I was planning to invite you all over for dinner tonight anyway."

Naruto's eyes sparkled. "Dinner?" Naruto asked with a grin. After a moment the grin slipped from his face. "But won't your parents be home?"

"My parents are only home a few days out of the month," Sakura said with a frown. "They aren't home so I figured it might be a good 'team' experience if I invited you all over."

"Awesome!" Naruto said as he looked enthusiastically at Sasuke-kun. "Come on Sasuke! I bet Sakura-Chan is an awesome cook!"

"… hn," Sasuke-kun said, and Sakura found herself smiling when she understood that he would be attending. All eyes turned towards their sensei, and he sighed in response.

"What's for dinner, Sakura-Chan?" Kakashi asked with a slight tilt upward of his mouth.


	6. Team Seven Meets Lee-senpai

Something must be wrong with me… I started writing this chapter right after I had posted the other one! Yay for quick and speedy updates : ) and thanks to you guys for speedy reviews! I had 7 in two hours…. And 20 in less than 24 hours… Weirdly awesome.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Team Seven Meets Lee-senpai

* * *

><p>Sakura sighed as she rolled out of bed. Her body was ridiculously sore and tired, but she knew she had to get up early this morning. She had promised Shikamaru that she would play Go with him, and really this was the best strategy training she was going to get.<p>

Shikamaru had always been the smartest person in the academy even if he hadn't shown it. He didn't like to apply himself, but Sakura could see the potential that was there. If Shikamaru really put his all into the game then Sakura knew she would be able to learn a great deal from him.

Smiling to herself, Sakura dragged her tired feet into the bathroom to shower. Coming home too tired to shower at night was become more and more common; she was going to have to wash her disgusting sheets sooner than she wanted to.

Turning the shower to blazing hot, Sakura recalled the interesting dinner she had with her teammates the night before.

She had made tomato sushi and ramen with anko dumplings for dessert. It had been nice to cook for someone other than herself. Sakura was used to being alone, but having company was nice too. After the delicious meal she had cooked, they all agreed to have dinner at her house at least three times a week… Well Naruto had declared that they were going to; no one else had disagreed with the idea though.

Turning the shower off, Sakura quickly grabbed some new clothes from her closet. Placing the mesh three quarter sleeved shirt on under a dark green tank top felt different, but not completely unwelcome. The mesh felt airy along her skin, and Sakura knew she would have to use mesh shirts more often. Putting on a pair of tight brown biker shorts Sakura put on her weights before heading downstairs.

Lee-senpai had been very encouraging last night. He had said that Sakura's taijutsu was improving already… Sakura highly doubted there was much of an improvement in three days, but she still felt good about Lee-senpai's praise. After not having praise for any technical skills from anyone during her academy years and at the beginning of team seven (she didn't include her intelligence a 'technical skill'), Sakura actually felt good about herself and her progress. If she had only been this dedicated when she had first wanted to become a ninja.

Ignoring those thoughts because they would lead her nowhere, Sakura decided to make some breakfast. The sun had yet to rise, but Sakura had a feeling Shikamaru would be arriving at her house soon. She had promise him tea, but she figured she could make him breakfast as well.

Bringing some eggs out of her fridge, Sakura decided to make tamagoyaki with some steamed rice. While she put the rice in the steam cooker, Sakura brought out the kettle and started to boil the tea.

Hearing a knock on her front door, Sakura started to head towards the door. "Morning Shikamaru," Sakura greeted with a nod of her head.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru nodded his greeting as he strolled into the house. Smiling, Sakura closed the door before motioning to the kitchen.

"I started to make breakfast," Sakura said while Shikamaru set his Go board down on the kitchen island. "I didn't know if you ate yet, but I'm making enough for the both of us."

"Thanks," Shikamaru said unenthusiastically. Frowning, Shikamaru continued. "I really don't like being up this early, but I guess I could be doing worse things."

"Thanks for that I guess," Sakura commented dryly before she returned to the stove to finish the tamagoyaki. Watching Shikamaru set up the board, Sakura quickly finished breakfast and took the kettle off just as it was about to boil. "How has training been going? Are you guys going to take the Chuunin exams too?"

"Unfortunately we are," Shikamaru said while he accepted the food and tea Sakura had made him with a nod. "Genin teams usually wait at least a year before applying, but Asuma-sensei believes we're ready."

"I wonder if Team Eight is also applying," Sakura said curiously as she took a sip of her tea. "It would be interesting to see how much everyone has grown since we've graduated."

"I doubt anyone has really changed that much," Shikamaru said. After a moment he looked thoughtful, and then shook his head. "Other than you that is."

"I like to think this was a change for the better," Sakura said with a serious look as she took a bite of her breakfast. "After our last mission in Wave I knew I had to try to do something to get stronger."

"Asuma-sensei talked to me about your mission," Shikamaru said while he finished setting up the Go board. Noticing the slightly haunted look in her eyes, he decided to drop the subject. Shikamaru placed a bag of black stones in front of Sakura and kept the white stones for himself. "Black goes first; do you know the rules?"

"The two basic rules," Sakura said with a nod as she placed her first black stone on the board. She had assumed she would learn through playing. "I've only seen people play this game; I've never played it personally."

"Interesting," Shikamaru said with a nod. "Let's begin then."

Xxx Team Seven Meets Lee-senpai xxX

"You had some good strategy on the last game," Shikamaru told her as the two left her house. The two had been playing Go for a few hours and Sakura had lost all six games they had played. Shikamaru was right, though, she had been trying to develop a different strategy during the last game.

"Did you want to come over again tomorrow to play?" Sakura asked curiously as the two walked together into town. Sakura would be lying if she had said that playing against Shikamaru hadn't been nerve-wracking because it really had. Shikamaru was a genius and could see the board so well. Whenever she had placed a piece on the board Shikamaru had seemed to either surround it easily or cut off its liberties. "I think I have an old Shogi board in my closet if you'd rather play that."

"Hm," Shikamaru looked thoughtful as he responded. "We'll see how your strategy on Go progresses first."

Grinning, Sakura nodded before she and Shikamaru parted ways. She knew she had to meet up with Kakashi-sensei; she really didn't want him thinking she was beginning to really have his habits of tardiness.

Increasing her speed slightly, Sakura barely felt the added weights that covered her wrists and ankles. Maybe she could ask Lee-senpai for a heavier pair after their session tonight?

Arriving at the training grounds she and Kakashi had decided to work at, Sakura frowned finding a note stuck on a tree with a kunai.

"_Sakura-Chan,_

_Thanks again for dinner last night : ) I had no idea you knew anko dumplings were my favorite! But anywhoo I am going to have to cancel our training session; I'm sorry. Hokage-sama gave me a mission and I will be gone both today and tomorrow. My suggestion to you would be to go to the library and research chakra control and chakra manipulation; maybe you can find some stuff on chakra sensing too while you're there? Once you're done practice walking on water again!_

_Ohhh, and tell the boys I'm on a mission! You're in charge of team building until I get back!_

_3 Kakashi"_

Rereading the note, Sakura sighed slightly. She could even read Kakashi-sensei's cheerfulness; it was kind of sickening.

Putting the note into her kunai pouch, Sakura decided to take her sensei's advice and walk to the library. She knew the route by heart and could probably walk there with her eyes closed.

Grinning at the sudden challenge, Sakura closed her eyes and tried to sense other chakra signatures in the world around her. Maybe she could get all the way to the library like this?

Taking another step forward Sakura decided that she could at least try. She of course wouldn't be able to dodge all of the inanimate objects that came her way, but she trusted herself enough to listen to her footsteps as she walked along the dirt road. She needed some extra work on using her other senses anyway; she relied on her sight way too much.

Walking back the way she came, Sakura thought about the place she had considered a second home for many years: the library. It had been a while since she had last been there… the last time she was there was before she had become a genin. Becoming a genin also granted her access to new archives and scrolls she had not read earlier. Maybe she could get more than just chakra sensing scrolls there?

She should actually get a book for Naruto; something that was very basic and easy to read, but also had a lot of action in it. She was sure she would be able to find something that interested the blond boy.

Faltering slightly, Sakura paused and opened her eyes. Smiling, she took a step forward. "Hey Lee-senpai," Sakura called as she watched the black haired boy walk across the road on his hands. Grinning, she shook her head slightly already getting used to his random antics and challenges.

"Sakura-Chan!" Lee-senpai called while balancing his weight on one hand and waved with the other. "To what do I owe this wonderful surprise?!"

"I'm actually on the way to the library," Sakura said as she walked up next to him. Lee-senpai continued to walk on his hands while the two walked down the street together. "Kakashi-sensei is on a mission right now and he suggested I go to the library for some research."

"That's a wonderfully youthful idea!" Lee shouted as he continued to walk on his hands. Sakura ignored the looks they were getting. Lee-senpai did stuff like this every day; Sakura was actually surprised more people weren't used to it. "I shall accompany your youthful self and I will walk the whole way on my hands! If I cannot do this I will do a thousand one handed push-ups in your honor!"

"… You really don't have to do that Lee-senpai," Sakura said with a slight sweat drop as the library came into view. Shaking her head slightly, Sakura knew Lee-senpai wouldn't take no for an answer. "But some company at the library would be great. Are you needing to research anything?"

"There is always more taijutsu to learn about!" Lee-senpai's voice carried rather far… maybe that was the reason everyone was looking at them? "I've been wanting to look up more on the gentle fist style to defeat my rival Neji-kun!"

"Gentle fist style?" Sakura parroted with a raise of the eyebrow. "That is the battle style of the Hyuga clan right? Is Neji-kun a part of the Hyuga clan?"

"Quite right Blossom," Lee-senpai said with a million watt smile. The blinding of his smile was becoming less and less shocking the more she saw it. "Neji-kun is on my genin team! He is very strong and it is my dream to beat him one day!"

"I hope your dream comes true then," Sakura said as the two arrived at the library. Even without knowing Lee-senpai for very long, Sakura could tell he was not capable of using chakra. If anyone else had said that they had wanted to beat a Hyuga and could not use their chakra network Sakura would have thought they were at least a little crazy. She believed in Lee-senpai though; the male had a ridiculous amount of charisma and dedication. She actually believed he could do it if he put enough time and effort into it.

Opening the library door, Sakura allowed Lee-senpai to walk in first before she followed him. The non-shinobi section of the library welcomed them like the summer sun on a cool winter day. Sakura breathed in the smell of books before she smiled.

"It's been too long since I've been here," Sakura told Lee-senpai quietly. She was slightly concerned whether Lee-senpai would be able to be quiet enough in the library or not… his "youthful" self was usually rather exuberant.

"Follow me then, Sakura-Chan!" Lee yelled quietly. Sakura's mind was still boggled at the fact that he was able to yell and be quiet at the same time.

She followed Lee-senpai down the aisles of the library until they reached a section she had not been in before. The Genin Library section was even larger than the Civilian section, and Sakura's eyes widened slightly at all of the books that she needed to read and memorize. Sakura's eyes widened even more at the sight of her raven haired teammate.

"Hey Sasuke-kun," Sakura called quietly as she found her teammate at one of the tables in the section.

"Sakura," Sasuke said in acknowledgement as he looked up at her. His eyes quickly went to Lee-senpai who had decided to roll forward into a standing position.

"Hello Sasuke-san!" Lee said with a large grin on his face. Sakura didn't know how to take the two of them together… she knew Sasuke-kun wasn't going to like Lee-senpai. "I am Rock Lee, Sakura-Chan's new senpai! It is wonderful to meet you!"

Sasuke's eyes looked Lee up and down before he turned back to Sakura with a raised eyebrow. "…What are you doing here?" Sasuke-kun questioned as his eyes stayed on Sakura; it was obvious he was just going to ignore Lee until he left.

"I'm looking for some scrolls on chakra control, chakra sensing and chakra manipulation," Sakura said. "Kakashi-sensei suggested I research more on those different subjects. I was also hoping to find something for Naruto to help him research more on being a ninja."

"Hn," Sasuke-kun responded with a slight snort. "Shinobi for Dobes is on that shelf over there."

Sakura brought a hand to her mouth to try and fight the smirk that threatened to show. "That's not very nice, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said as she glanced toward the shelf he had pointed at. The section was titled "Ninja for Beginners" and even if she wasn't going to pick the book Sasuke-kun had suggested, she would still probably find a good book for Naruto there. "What are you doing here, Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn," Sasuke responded with a nod toward his books on the table. "Researching chakra sensing."

Sakura grinned at him before heading to the Ninja for Beginners section. "I'll have to go through your scrolls once I find a good one for Naruto."

Sasuke only nodded to her before he went back to reading his scroll. Looking through the large shelves that housed the ninja beginner books and scrolls, Sakura ignored the Shinobi for Dobes book with a slight grin. Reading the titles, Sakura grabbed one that looked slightly promising.

"I've read that one before!" Lee commented from behind her shoulder. Sakura flinched; she had forgotten he was there. "Super Awesome Ninja History is a very epic adventure of the past shinobi wars. It has the shinobi rules and basic information littered throughout the entire book as well!"

Reading through the first few pages, Sakura realized that this book would be the type of thing Naruto would read and learn stuff without knowing it. Grinning, she put the book under her arm before walking to a different shelf. Looking back to Sasuke who sat reading his scroll, Sakura spoke. "I forgot to tell you," Sakura said with a slight frown. "Kakashi-sensei is on a mission and won't be back until the day after tomorrow. We're supposed to do some team exercises today and tomorrow in his absence."

"Tch," Sasuke said with a frown. "Annoying. Why did he tell you that and not me?"

"We were supposed to be training right now," Sakura said as her eyes went back to the shelves. Something interesting caught her eye and before she could tell herself she was only a genin and shouldn't really be interested in that subject yet, Sakura decided to grab for it.

"You're doing individual training with Kakashi?" Sasuke-kun asked as he sounded slightly surprised. "I hadn't thought about asking if he'd train me outside of the team…"

"She's training with me too!" Lee-senpai spouted helpfully as he went through the different scrolls in the taijutsu section. "We're working on taijutsu!"

"…" Sasuke looked a little confused as his eyes went from Sakura back to Lee. "Why?"

"Lee-senpai's strength is taijutsu," Sakura said while her eyes scanned the basic medical scroll she had in front of her. Medical jutsu had always fascinated her, and Kakashi-sensei had said she did have really good chakra control. Maybe this would be something she could try to train to focus more on chakra control? "He was also rather supportive when I told him I wanted to become stronger."

"Hn," For some reason Sasuke-kun sounded kind of irritated. Raising her eyes away from the scroll, Sakura's eyes widened slightly when Sasuke actually looked irritated. "You could have asked me if you needed help in taijutsu."

Sakura wanted to laugh at him, because she knew if she had asked him for help in taijutsu he would have called her annoying or ignored her. Choosing to ignore these facts, Sakura shrugged. "Lee-senpai offered; we were both in the right place at the right time."

"I'm more than happy to help the beautiful Sakura-Chan!" Lee said as he threw his million watt smile Sasuke's way. Sakura couldn't fight the smirk down when Sasuke actually flinched at the brightness of Lee's smile.

"Annoying," Sasuke muttered before he looked back down to the scroll in front of him. He was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "When do you train together?"

"At nights," Sakura said with a bit of confusion. "We usually train together after the sun goes down."

"Well I'm not doing anything tonight," Sasuke said a shrug. "We can go over chakra sensing and then work on taijutsu afterward."

Sakura's eyebrow rose once again, but she looked to Lee-senpai in response. Lee's smile had only widened. "We would love to train with you tonight Sasuke-san! The more the merrier! I will even bring you an extra set of weights to train in!

"I've got to go Sakura-Chan!" Lee said as he headed out with a handful of scrolls. "It was wonderful to meet you Sasuke-san. I cannot wait for our youthful training session that will occur tonight!"

"Bye Lee-senpai," Sakura called as her eyes scanned the shelves for more medical scrolls. If she really wanted to get into this, she could look up basic herbal remedies and things that she could do now to benefit her team. Finding a book she found interesting, Sakura turned towards the table. "You're really going to train with Lee-senpai and me?"

Sasuke nodded his agreement before pushing a scroll Sakura's way. Sakura walked over to the table, a scroll and three books already in hand. Looking the scroll down, Sakura smiled before nodding. "Sensing chakra is exactly what I'm looking for, thanks Sasuke-kun."

"You're welcome," Sasuke said as he grabbed another scroll from the pile.

"I think I'll need to work on the range at which I can sense people," Sakura said out loud before reading more into the scroll. Sakura found herself rambling for some unknown reason. The last time she and Sasuke-kun had been alone together he had bought her groceries and had walked her home; to say that little exchange was awkward was an understatement. "And some people can actually tell if you are lying by chakra fluctuation. That would be good for interrogation. And there is even a section on how to prevent your chakra from being detected? Have you read through this one Sasuke-kun?"

"It's all basic information," Sasuke said with a nod. "The rest of the scrolls and books on the table go further in depth."

"Awesome," Sakura said with a smile. Sitting down at the table across from Sasuke-kun, Sakura allowed her eyes to scan over the titles before grabbing one that was particularly interesting. She heard Sasuke-kun snort before looking up at him. "What?"

"Please tell me the basic medicine scroll is for you and not the Dobe," Sasuke responded. Sakura could only grin in response.

Xxx Team Seven meets Lee-senpai xxX

Stretching at their regular training spot, Sakura waited for Lee-senpai, Sasuke-kun and Naruto to arrive. Of course the blond had wanted "in" on the extra training that Lee-senpai had offered. Sakura was just hopeful that Lee wouldn't mind another addition to their training.

Hearing someone's footsteps, Sakura didn't have to turn around to know who was coming. "Hey Naruto!" Sakura grinned as she waved toward the blond. The team exercises she had put all of Team Seven through had not been exceedingly hard, but she had decided to have them go through different formations and situational things that they could do to hopefully help them in the Chuunin exams; part two of the exams sounded like it would be the most difficult. She knew Naruto had found it completely boring… She was hoping this night session would make up for the boringness from her earlier session.

"Hey Sakura-Chan!" Naruto greeted with a large smile. He plopped down right next to her and seemed really excited about something. "I started reading the book you gave me after our training earlier! I was kind of scared to start reading it because I thought it would be boring, but it's super awesome Sakura-Chan! I didn't know destroying the Kannabi Bridge was the turning point in the war! The fourth Hokage's team including Kakashi-sensei were the ones to destroy! How freaking awesome is that?!"

Grinning, Sakura nodded before she started to stretch again. She was glad Lee-senpai had suggested the book to her now. Maybe she could find a few more books that were similar in style to teach Naruto things other than history? That would make her life easier when she tutored him.

"Hello Sakura-Chan!" Lee-senpai greeted while walking into the clearing. Lee was carrying three different types of weights, and Sakura smiled knowing her senpai was always well prepared. Looking from Sakura to Naruto, Lee's grin only widened.

"This is Naruto, Lee-senpai," Sakura said as she motioned to the blond sitting next to her. "I hope you're okay with me inviting him as well; he was actually a little jealous when Sasuke-kun and I told him we'd be training again."

"I already told you the more the merrier, Sakura-Chan," Lee responded with his thousand watt smile. "I'm glad I brought extra weights! It's wonderful to meet you Naruto-kun!"

Naruto twitched at seeing Lee-senpai, and Sakura was hoping Naruto could at least be civil. "… Bushy… Brows…"

"Naruto," Sakura gave Naruto a warning look before continuing. "Lee-senpai is doing us a favor; don't be ungrateful."

"Fine," Naruto said with a slight grimace. "What are those weird cloth thingys for?"

"They're weights my dear Naruto-kun!" Lee said with a grin as he kneeled beside Sakura and Naruto. "I brought a new pair for Sakura-Chan to try and two different ones for Sasuke-san to choose from; I wasn't sure which one he would need more."

"Which one is heavier?" Sasuke asked while he walked into the clearing. The weights were different colored. The ones he handed Sakura were a light gray, but the other two were a dark green and a dark blue.

"The blue ones-"

"I'll take the blue!" Both Sasuke and Naruto said at the same time. The two both turned to glare at each other before Sakura decided to speak up.

"Sasuke-kun will have the blue ones," Sakura said while looking at Lee-senpai. "He has more muscle mass than Naruto does."

Sasuke's responding smirk caused Naruto to glare harder. "But Sakura-Channnnnnn-"

"No buts Naruto," Sakura said with a frown. "I don't want you getting hurt while we're training. We have the Chuunin exams to think about. They're coming up in less than two weeks."

"Fine," Naruto said with a frown and a whine. Sakura ignored him while grabbing the new weights Lee had provided her. Taking the weights off, Sakura let her arms breathe a little before putting the new ones on.

"They're only a few pounds heavier Sakura-Chan," Lee-senpai told her with a smile. "You won't notice much of a difference, but it'll be good to work yourself up to a heavier set."

"Thanks Lee-senpai," Sakura said with a smile as she watched Lee-senpai give out the blue weights and the green weights.

"These feel weird," Naruto said while lifting his arms and legs up after the green weights had been added on.

"They're supposed to, Dobe," Sasuke-kun muttered with a frown. Sakura could tell he thought they were uncomfortable too.

"Well I hope you've all stretched!" Lee-senpai said with a grin as he started jumping up and down. "We'll start with a quick lap around the village as a warm up. Then we'll get into strikes and defensive maneuvers. It's actually a good thing we have an even amount of people! We will be able to have taijutsu spars!"

With that said the group of four began their run around the village. Sakura stayed near the back with a grin on her face as she watched Naruto and Sasuke try to run faster than the other; the added weights weren't helping their speed any. Feeling eyes on her, Sakura turned to Naruto as his blue eyes sparkled.

"This is kind of good team building isn't it, Sakura-Chan?" Naruto called over his shoulder. The blond was smiling, and his smile caused Sakura's grin to widen.

"I think so," Sakura said as she tried to speed up to run beside them. "I think so."


	7. Sword Training

I blame my mass amount of updates on my lack of relationship status… well at least I'm doing something I love right? : P Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed and supported me this far in the story! I am so excited to let Sakura develop slowly into the awesome kick ass kunochi we all wish she would have been : )

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Sword Training

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><p>Sakura stood at the river near the red bridge Team Seven liked to meet at. She had not practiced walking on water the day before, and now she was regretting her decision. She had known walking on water would be hard, but even after looking at some of the chakra manipulation scrolls she had borrowed from the library she still could only stay afloat the water for ten seconds.<p>

As she stood next to the flowing river soaking wet, Sakura tried to rethink her strategy. She knew already that the water was flowing and she had to regulate her chakra on the bottom of her feet; it was different than the tree climbing exercise because the tree was stationary and did not move.

Kakashi-sensei had told her to not concentrate as hard on what she was doing. Maybe she should be jumping into the water head first? Well not literally of course…

She had to match the output and input of chakra with the water waves. She knew she had to start somewhere that had little water movement to make herself more stable.

Deciding to try her idea, Sakura walked closer to the steady koi pond that was a few yards away from the river. The river's waves flowed too quickly for her to try what she wanted to.

Jumping immediately into the koi pond without even thinking, Sakura summoned chakra to her feet. Before she could get the feel of the chakra on her feet, Sakura jumped again and landed a few feet away, still in the koi pond. She played the game of water hopscotch a few more times before something distracted her and she fell into the water.

Pulling herself out of the pond, Sakura sent a slight glare to the Chuunin who looked more than a little amused.

"Haruno-san?" The male in front of her sported two swords across his back, a weird bandage over his nose, and had long, spikey-black hair. Sakura tried to ignore him as she pulled herself up.

"Yes." Sakura found herself responding rather tartly. Really, she had been trying to work something out and this guy had tried to sneak up on her; well he had snuck up on her. She had been too busy trying to jump without thinking about it that she hadn't thought about anything; she hadn't even been trying to sense chakra which was something she was trying to drill herself on doing all the time.

"Hokage-sama would like to see you," the male said as his smirk increased. Nodding, Sakura turned towards the Hokage tower; she was surprised to feel the man fall into step beside her. "What were you trying to do back there?"

"I'm trying to not concentrate while walking on water," Sakura said with a frown and a sigh. She didn't really want to explain it to this person, but he seemed happy enough to walk beside her on the way back to the tower. "Kakashi-sensei said that I concentrate too hard when I'm trying to do things; he said I would be able to do it better when it becomes instinctual."

"Kakashi-san is a smart man," the male said with a nod before continuing. "But he also doesn't understand how to teach sometimes. Did he tell you what it should feel like when you're standing on the water?"

"Well no," Sakura said as her frown worsened.

"Hm," the male beside her brought a finger to his chin. "Well, it should feel kind of tingly. The best way I can describe how to do this is to first notice how fast the water is moving; you should also note that the water moves faster at different spots. When you concentrate on your feet, make sure to put enough chakra in your feet to make them tingle. It may sound weird now, but that was the thing that really helped me learn how to walk on water."

"Um," Sakura said as she smiled a little. "Thanks, I guess… what's your name?"

"Kotetsu Hagane," the male said with a slight mocking bow; she noted the male seemed to be a jokester, but she took his water walking advice to heart.

"You'd be a good sensei," Sakura said thoughtfully as the two continued to walk on. "My teammate Naruto would especially like you if you were able to explain all jutsu in the way you just explained water walking to me."

"Ha, really?" Kotetsu said with a grin. "I don't think I'd be any good with kids. I specialize in genjutsu and kenjutsu."

She looked at the way he held the swords on his back, and Sakura knew he would be the right person to ask for help in training with her dagger. The sword and the dagger were two very different weapons, but Sakura hoped the male would be willing to teach her how to use the dagger; no one else had been able to yet.

"Could you teach me some kenjutsu?" Sakura asked curiously as the two continued to walk. She noticed Kotetsu's foot falter slightly as he was walking, and decided to ignore it.

"You want me…" Kotetsu began. "To teach you… kenjutsu?"

Sakura ignored the laughter that escaped the older male and frowned. "I'm trying to become stronger in all aspects, but I don't really know how to use weapons very well. Sure I can throw a kunai at a target, but I really want to learn how to use this dagger."

Sakura ignored the tear that escaped Kotetsu's eye as he finished laughing. Turning towards him, Sakura showed him the dagger that she had gotten from the market a few days prior. Watching his face sober up, Kotetsu took the dagger into his hands before unsheathing it.

The male slashed it in the air once before sheathing it. "This is actually a very nice weapon," the male said thoughtfully. "It really would be a shame for this weapon to be used improperly."

"So you'll help train me?" Sakura asked hopefully as she looked into his dark eyes.

"Nah," Kotetsu said with another chuckle. "I told you teaching wasn't really my thing. I can show you to someone who can teach you though… First we have to go the tower."

Xxx Sword Training xxX

Sakura looked at the male before her and raised an eyebrow. The male Kotetsu had taken her to seemed like he needed a doctor.

"Hayate-san?" Sakura questioned as the brunette headed male broke out into another coughing fit. Maybe she could look up a few different herbal treatments that could alleviate coughing symptoms…

"Hai, Sakura-san," Hayate said as he let out a shaky breath. "Let us continue. Grab your blade and place it out in front of you. Allow the blade to be an extension of your arm. Your dagger is smaller than what I am used to working with, but it will still allow you to have a longer wing span than most of your opponents will have.

"It is also easier to get the flow of kenjutsu when you're not watching what you're doing," Hayate chimed helpfully.

Nodding, Sakura did as she was told. Placing the dagger out in front of her, Sakura closed her eyes before slicing the air in a circular motion. She had to admit, even if she had only been working with Hayate for twenty minutes she was starting to feel more and more comfortable with her dagger. She really liked the weapon and had hoped she'd use it more.

"Good," Hayate-san said as he coughed into his fist. "Now, follow my commands with your dagger. No thinking, just movement.

"Upward arch, down, right, left, downward arch, horizontal slash, forward," Hayate said while drilling her in the ways of the sword. Sakura believed the male was just trying to help her get comfortable with the weapon. "Very good, but you need to put more effort into the thrust forward."

"Again," Hayate said softly as he fought off a cough. "Upward arch, down, right, left, downward arch, horizontal slash, forward. Alright, now that's enough. Didn't you say you had to meet your team for a mission?"

"Yes," Sakura said with a nod as she bowed slightly before putting her dagger away. "I had an hour to train before I was supposed to meet Sasuke-kun and Naruto. Thank you again for teaching me the basics of kenjutsu."

"Anytime Sakura-san," Hayate said with a nod and a cough. "You should practice the katas that I've taught you and you will get the hang of your dagger in no time. Feel free to find me at any point in the future when you are ready to learn more. I find it impressive a genin is interested in learning any type of kenjutsu."

Smiling, Sakura took that as her moment to leave. Naruto, Sasuke-kun, and herself actually had a mission to attend to. The mission wasn't anything hard by any means; Hokage-sama wouldn't give them anything even remotely hard after their mission to Wave… not to mention Kakashi-sensei wasn't even in the village at the moment.

Walking slowly down the road to the designated meeting spot, Sakura thought about what she was going to make for dinner later. Tonight was one of the nights Naruto had said the team was coming over; she hoped Kakashi-sensei would be back from his mission in time to join them.

"Hey Sakura-Chan!" Naruto called from his spot on the bridge. Sakura allowed a proud smile to grace her features when she saw Naruto reading the book she had gotten him.

"Still reading the book, huh Naruto?" Sakura said while she leaned against the railing of the red bridge across from him. "I'm glad you like it."

"It even has pictures Sakura-Chan!" Naruto said as he flashed a picture of the nations and where many of the main battles took place in the Third Shinobi War.

"I still say you should have gotten him Shinobi for Dobes," Sasuke-kun said with a slight smirk as he walked on the bridge. Sakura couldn't help the smirk that made its way to her face before she looked to Naruto for a reaction. She was surprised to see him so immersed in his book he had ignored Sasuke-kun's comment completely.

Looking back to Sasuke-kun, he too looked surprised at the blond. "We should go back to the library after the mission to find the Dobe more books."

"That's especially thoughtful of you Sasuke-kun," Sakura said as she pulled out a scroll from her pack. Reading through it, Sakura sighed before showing it to Sasuke. "I thought we could maybe go over chakra sensing and chakra control today after the mission… Those are my strengths and I think it would be helpful for us to go over our strengths with each other."

"Hn," Sasuke responded with a nod. "I could try and teach you and Naruto about ninjutsu and aiming shuriken, but I don't know what the Dobe is going to be good at teaching us."

"He's really good at making shadow clones," Sakura found herself saying. "That means he has a large reserve of chakra. He is also pretty good at sneaking into places without getting caught…"

"I'm right here guys!" Naruto said with a grin and a wave of his hand. He had put the book down and was now looking from Sasuke to Sakura curiously. "What are we doing today?"

"We thought we would focus on everyone's strength," Sakura said with a small shrug. She hadn't really thought a lot on how they were going to do this whole training without Kakashi-sensei, but he would be back tomorrow. "I was going to try to go over chakra sensing and chakra control."

"I need some help with that Sakura-Chan!" Naruto said with a grin as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I can show you guys how to do my super cool shadow clone jutsu! What are you going to be teaching us Teme?"

"I can teach you my family's fire ball jutsu," Sasuke said with a slight shrug. Sakura couldn't stop the large smile that blossomed on her face.

"That sounds awesome Sasuke-kun," Sakura said as she looked at Sasuke-kun. Within the past week the dynamics between Team Seven had changed completely, and Sakura was actually really happy about it. It was almost like they were starting to become a team now… Sakura had almost forgotten about what the two had been saying about her at the ramen stand a few days ago. The thought sobered her up quickly.

"We should get on with the mission Hokage-sama has assigned us," Sakura said as her mouth pulled downward into a straight line.

"Maaa," Naruto said with a pout. "I don't know why we have to help Iruka-sensei out anyhow. We just left the academy; why do we have to go back?"

"We finally agree on something," Sasuke-kun nodded his confirmation before Sakura sighed.

"It could be a worse mission," Sakura said while she started to head toward the academy. The two boys flanked her sides while they followed in step with her. "We could have to go after that cat again."

Sakura watched Naruto shutter and knew the blond was picturing the last time they had to find the Daimyo's cat… they all understood why the cat wanted to escape after they had returned it to the daimyo's wife.

"But he just needs help moving a few boxes, doesn't he?" Naruto said again. "That's going to be soo boring! And now we're going to be doing cool training; I'd rather be training."

"The sooner we complete this mission the sooner we can train," Sakura said while she picked up her pace. "And whatever Iruka-sensei needs I'm sure won't be too bad."

The group of three continued to walk in silence as they headed toward the academy. To say Sakura would rather be somewhere else was an understatement.

After training with Lee-senpai, Naruto and Sasuke-kun the night before, Sakura had been pouring through the many scrolls and books she had found from the library. After reading through four different medical scrolls, Sakura had found a few useful herbs and tonics that might be beneficial. She had ignored the section on poisons because she knew she didn't want to dab into that yet.

She had found that ground coffee, salt and water, flour, tea bags, and yarrow were all used to stop excessive bleeding. Marigold helped with healing and disinfecting wounds, cilantro helped expel toxins from the body, lemon balm helped to treat viruses, peppermint helps to soothe vomiting and indigestion, rosemary was great as a natural reviver, and mullein was very useful when fighting infections (especially respiratory infections). Sakura was hopeful she could mix mullein with something else when she got home for a tea for Hayate-san. The coughing the male had been doing earlier made her uncomfortable; why hadn't the hospital done anything for him yet?

Shaking her head, Sakura let her mind wander to the other research she did. She had read a few scrolls on chakra sensing and she believed she would be able to sense people's chakra a little better. The first scroll described how everyone had a different type of chakra and if someone concentrated hard enough they could tell chakra signatures apart; that scroll hadn't been very helpful because Sakura could already do that. She'd give that one to Sasuke-kun when she had the chance.

The second scroll had been far more interesting. It had told her different ways she could work on expanding her "sensing chakra zone" as the scroll had called it. It started off talking about how to find out one's current zone and then working on different ways to expand it. She had wanted to practice it last night, but it had been too late for her to really try.

With all the extra training and studying she was doing, Sakura was realizing she was going to get sick sooner or later if she didn't rest. After making herself some tea with rosemary this morning (she smiled at the thought), Sakura had felt much more refreshed. She would have to make more time for sleeping, which would mean cutting out some studying time.

Shaking her thoughts away, Sakura realized the group had arrived at the academy. Noticing that both boys still weren't talking, Sakura decided to take the initiative and sigh. "We should probably head in," Sakura said as she took a step toward the door. "Hokage-sama said the academy students wouldn't be here today. We won't have to worry about anything other than our old sensei."

"Sakura-Chan is right!" Naruto said as he smiled. "And I haven't seen Iruka-sensei in a long time! He owes me ramen!"

"Dobe," Sasuke shook his head slightly with a smirk. "Do you eat anything other than ramen?"

"I had the anko dumplings Sakura-Chan made the other night!" Naruto said as a cute pout appeared on his face. "And I tried one of the tomato sushi rolls… those were gross, no offense Sakura-Chan! How do you even like tomatoes, Teme?"

"Tomatoes are actually a very healthy fruit Naruto," Sakura said as the three walked down the familiar hallways of the academy. Sakura was reminiscing as the group walked passed their old classroom. How long had it been since she had sat in one of those chairs and listened to Iruka-sensei's lecture?

"Bleck," Naruto commented with a frown. "They taste awful and it feels like I'm swallowing a snail, you know?"

"And eating ramen feels like you're eating worms," Sakura chided as they walked to Iruka-sensei's office door. Sakura had to fight a smirk at the shocked and disgusted look on Naruto's face. Knocking once, Sakura smiled as she watched the door open.

"Hello Team Seven," Iruka-sensei said with a large smile and a wave. "I'm actually happy to find you here! I didn't know which team Hokage-sama was going to send me."

"What did you need help for, Iruka-sensei?" Naruto questioned with an eyebrow raise. "Getting too lazy to move a few boxes?"

"Very funny Naruto," Iruka-sensei responded with a smile. "I actually just wanted some help moving my stuff to my new office. I figured it would give a genin team like yourselves something to do, and also give me time for grading my new students tests."

"We have lots of training to do, Iruka-sensei," Naruto yelled. "We don't need missions like this to keep us busy. Believe it!"

"Lots of training?" Iruka-sensei questioned. "What training are you guys doing when your sensei is not here?"

"We're actually going to train each other in a field we are individually strong in," Sakura said with a smile. "But we'd like to get this mission over with as soon as possible. Where did you want this stuff delivered to?"

"Down the next hallway," Iruka-sensei said as he matched Sakura's smile. She noticed the proud gleam in his eyes; it was much easier to see than Kakashi-sensei's. "It's next to the filing room."

Iruka-sensei opened his door wider to show the mounds of boxes he had stacked in the very cramped space. Rubbing the back of his head, Iruka-sensei had the decency to look sheepish. "I guess it may take a little longer than you guys were hoping for…. I should also mention I have a storage room full of boxes that need to be moved too."

Xxx Sword Training xxX

The group of three lay on the field next to their usual meeting spot. The red bridge was a few feet away from them and the koi pond was another yard or two away. To say they were exhausted would probably be an understatement. Iruka-sensei had over five hundred boxes stacked between his small office and the storage closet he had forgotten to mention to the Hokage… add in the additional weight from the weights that were on their ankles and wrists… Team Seven was probably ready for a nap.

Sakura sat up; she couldn't afford to let herself fall asleep. "I should go first with this training session, right?" Sakura asked with a grin as she looked to the two boys in front of her. "Kakashi-sensei was starting to work with me on chakra control before he went on his mission. The next step up from the tree climbing exercise is the water walking exercise. We have to concentrate our chakra to our feet, but the tricky thing is the water is always moving and changing so you can't keep your chakra steady like you did with the tree."

"That's why you were all wet yesterday," Sasuke accused with a slight incline of his eyebrow. Sasuke had stood up and was now giving Sakura his full attention; Naruto was still sprawled on his back.

"If you weren't able to do it yet," Naruto said with a frown. "Was it really that hard? You're really good at chakra control Sakura-Chan!"

"Kakashi-sensei said I have a problem with concentrating too much," Sakura said with a small frown. "I was finally able to understand that a little better earlier today, but that got interrupted for our mission. I think I have a scroll I can look at when I get home that could probably help me a little more, but I figured I'd teach you guys what I know."

"Hn," Sasuke said looking thoughtful. "I want a demonstration before you go into explaining anything."

She definitely couldn't do the water leaping she had been trying to do earlier; Sakura knew that would just confuse the two males even more than they already were.

She would have to allow her instinct to take over. Walking over to the koi pond, Sakura gathered her hands into a tiger seal. Sometimes it was just easier not to concentrate when she was focused on the hand seal she was making.

Walking onto the pond, Sakura began to emit a constant stream of chakra from the bottom of her feet. Taking a breath, Sakura started to speak as she took another step on the pond. "So I'm emitting a steady stream of chakra from my feet and using that as a repellent force to walk across the water's surface. While I'm doing this I am changing the flow of my chakra constantly because the water is always changing… does that kind of make sense?"

Sakura was surprised she was doing as well as she was doing. Concentrating on the chakra flow from the bottom of her feet, Sakura felt the chakra falter before she crashed into the pond. Ignoring the sound of laughter that left Naruto's mouth, Sakura surfaced and then swam to the edge. Pulling herself out of the pond, Sakura shook her short locks and was thankful for the shorter length.

"I started to think about it too much," Sakura said with a shake of her head. Looking to Sasuke-kun, she was surprised to see his eyes a crimson color.

"I saw when your chakra faltered," Sasuke-kun said with a frown. "After you stopped talking the flow of your chakra changed slightly and that's what caused you to fall; you tried to add too much chakra at one time."

"I hadn't noticed that," Sakura said with a smile. "Thanks Sasuke-kun!

"Now it's your guys' turn to try!" Sakura said excitedly, because she finally wouldn't be the only wet one training.

"…I'm not so sure about this Sakura-Chan," Naruto said with a frown as he stood.

"You'll be fine," Sakura said as she watched Sasuke walk closer to the pond. "I bet you'll get the hang of this in no time!"

"Ha," Sasuke-kun snorted slightly as he put his first foot on the pond. "I bet I can master this faster than you, Dobe."

"Bring it on Teme," Naruto responded instantly, and before Sakura even knew what was happening the boys were both head deep under the water. She had to put a hand over her mouth to stop from laughing… at least her first attempt hadn't been that bad.


	8. Chakra Affinity

Another chapter? Heck yes : ) I hope you are all as excited as I am that I'm updating this story AGAIN! I'm pretty sure we'll be getting to the Chuunin exams some point soon : ) I'm just allowing this story to progress slowly… like turtle slow.

Sorry it's shorter than the last few chapters! I hope you still enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chakra Affinity

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><p>Sakura frowned as she got to work on dinner. Sasuke-kun and Naruto had gone home to shower and would be over soon. Sakura's mind kept going back to the training session she had just had with the two boys.<p>

After listening to what Sasuke-kun had said, Sakura realized she had been subconsciously overcompensating for the weights she had gotten from Lee. Her body had not been used to the added weight near her ankles; she still wasn't completely used to them like she had originally thought she was.

After realizing her rather stupid mistake, Sakura had been able to walk across the koi pond with little to no problem. The extra chakra she had been sending to her legs had been disrupting the chakra flow that had kept her legs steady.

The thing she was unhappy about though, was Sasuke-kun's fire jutsu. She understood the mechanics of it, she knew how much chakra she needed to put in the jutsu, and she knew how to do it, but she couldn't produce a fireball.

Sasuke-kun had done a surprisingly good job explaining how to create the jutsu and what they needed to make it. The right amount of chakra and where to expel the chakra had been exceedingly helpful, but alas neither Sakura nor Naruto could produce even a small amount of fire from their mouths.

She wondered if this had to do with chakra affinity. Chakra affinities made it easier to learn different jutsu, but didn't make it impossible to learn others. She'd ask Kakashi-sensei about it later.

Currently she was making onigiri and sashimi. Sashimi was easy because it was only raw fish. She especially liked using maguro and sake; those were the freshest fish at the market. For the onigiri, Sakura was making different types. She had found a way to make a tomato rice ball, but was also making the more traditional umeboshi and okaka. For dessert she had picked up some mocha ice cream.

Hearing a knock from the front door, Sakura put down the rice balls she was wrapping and wiped her hand on her apron. She usually wore an apron because her mother usually wore an apron when she cooked; it was just part of her routine to put it on.

Opening her front door, Sakura smiled pleasantly at her sensei.

"Yo, Sakura-Chan," Kakashi-sensei greeted her. Stepping away from the door, Sakura allowed her sensei to enter and motioned toward the kitchen.

"I'm still making dinner," Sakura told him as she shut the door and walked toward the kitchen. "You're actually early again Kakashi-sensei."

"Don't sound so surprised," Kakashi-sensei said with a small pout as he followed her into her kitchen. He took a seat on the island that Shikamaru had sat on earlier that morning. "I figured I'd offer you some help… and I figured I'd be able to sneak some food before the boys came."

"You can eat when everyone gets here," Sakura said with a smile as she continued to stick together rice balls. Putting the kettle on her stove to boil, Sakura looked back to see Kakashi-sensei watching her.

"How did training go?" Kakashi-sensei asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Mine?" Sakura asked with a smile. "Or Team Seven's?"

"Both," Kakashi said with a noncommittal shrug. Sakura grabbed a tea cup for both of them and put a few different tea bag choices in front of him. She had a wide variety of tea, but after reading a few of the medical scrolls, Sakura realized which ones were better for her. Sakura was only mildly surprised when he chose the lemongrass and chamomile tea.

"Mine was fairly successful," Sakura said as her smile widened. "I figured out how to walk on water while you've been gone, and I had a lesson with Hayate-san on how to use my dagger."

"Hmm," Kakashi said with a nod of his head. "I ran into Hayate at the Hokage tower after I had finished my mission. He had said you did very well in the basic lesson he taught you… I wouldn't try to use your sword in battle yet though Sakura-Chan. A basic lesson does not make someone an expert."

"I know," Sakura said with a shrug as she finished wrapping the last rice ball. "As for training with the boys, today was probably better team building than yesterday. Yesterday I had us go over hypothetical strategies and tactics in battle. Today we went over each other's strengths and tried to train each other in the area we were most comfortable in."

"Really now?" Kakashi-sensei asked surprised as he perked up. "That is an interesting way to train; I'm surprised it worked well for you."

"The boys actually trained last night with Lee-senpai and me too," Sakura said as she put all of the rice balls on a long plate. Nodding to Kakashi-sensei, Kakashi grabbed the long plate of sashimi. Sakura lead him to the long kitchen table that was in the dining room next to the kitchen. Before Team Seven had come over, this room was last used for Sakura's fifth birthday party.

"And how did that go?" Kakashi-sensei sounded like he was highly amused. Sakura had to agree with him; the situation had been kind of funny.

"The training session could have gone a lot worse, I suppose," Sakura said as she set the food down on the table. "All three males tried to outdo each other, which is pretty typical for Sasuke-kun and Naruto. I think Lee-senpai just wanted in on the action, because he challenged them to a push-up competition. Both of them were bitter when Lee-senpai beat them by a landslide... I'm pretty sure it's just going to be good motivation for the two of them."

"…That makes me actually sad that I was on a mission; I would have paid money to see that," Kakashi-sensei mused as his cheeks tilted upward in a smile. Grinning back at the male, Sakura paused before speaking once she felt two chakra signatures at her door.

"Can you get the door while I grab the tea?" Sakura asked as she started to head back into the kitchen.

She didn't wait for Kakashi-sensei's response, but she got a resounding, "I see you've been working on sensing chakra."

"I've been trying to expand my chakra sensing zone," Sakura said with a smile as she heard Kakashi-sensei walk to the door.

"You're not Sakura-Chan!" Sakura heard Naruto accuse as she grabbed the tea kettle and turned off the stove. She couldn't help but laugh slightly as she headed back into the dining room to put the kettle down before she turned to the doorway.

Seeing Sasuke carrying a bundle of something, Sakura looked slightly confused. "What is that Sasuke-kun?"

"… You make dinner for us so I wanted to bring something too," Sasuke-kun said as he shrugged. Grinning, Sakura accepted the large loaf of bread and put it on the table.

"Thanks Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said as she headed back into the kitchen. "I'll grab a knife and plates and then we can get started."

"Let me help Sakura-Chan!" Naruto offered as he fumbled into her kitchen. Sakura couldn't say no as Naruto headed in the direction of her mother's fine china plates… Sakura cleared her throat and then motioned toward the tea bags that were still on the island.

"Can you grab the tea and tea cups?" Sakura asked as she found the bread knife she had been looking for. "The tea cups are in the cabinet above the stove. Sasuke-kun, can you grab the plates? They're in the cabinet to the right of the tea cups."

"Hn," Sasuke said as he walked into the kitchen. After she had found another long plate for the bread, Sakura realized how much her team dynamics had changed over such a short amount of time.

Sasuke-kun was helping set up for dinner, had even brought something, and was actually attending said dinner without complaint. Naruto was being helpful, and Kakashi-sensei was actually early and seemed like he wanted to spend time with them… what the hell was the world coming to?

If she had said the group of four would be having dinner at her house before the mission in Waves, Sakura would have thought she was crazy. Now, it just seemed so normal for them to do so.

Shaking her head as her thoughts wandered, Sakura walked back into the dining room and took a seat. She noticed Kakashi-sensei had made himself useful by grabbing some chopsticks and pouring the warm water into the four different tea cups that Naruto had set on the table.

Once Sakura had sat down the boys filed in accordingly. The table had enough room for eight people; each side had two chairs. The group decided to each take a side; to Sakura's left was Sasuke, to her right was Naruto, and Kakashi-sensei sat across from her.

Grabbing some umeboshi, Sakura passed the bowl to Sasuke-kun, while Kakashi-sensei started with the sashimi and then passed it to Naruto. After the food had been passed out, each person grabbed their chop sticks and said "itadakimasu" before eating.

"Thish is really goods Sakushura-Shan!" Naruto said through a mouthful of umeboshi. Sakura frowned at the show of table manners the blond had, and even wiped off a small bit of food from her cheek. Hearing Sasuke-kun's snort from across the table made her sigh.

"Don't talk with your mouth full of food, Dobe," Sasuke-kun said as he delicately ate his tomato rice balls. "It's considered rude, and you'll spit food out at people."

"Shorry," Naruto said through his food again. Noticing his mistake, Naruto quickly swallowed down his mouthful of food and said it again. "Sorry, Sakura-Chan."

"It's okay Naruto," Sakura said with a shake of her head as she grabbed for a tea bag. Adding the licorice root to her warm water, Sakura steeped the bag a few times before taking a drink. She smiled at the sweet flavor before setting it down and taking another bite of food.

"Sakura-Chan has been telling me what she's been doing since I've been gone," Kakashi-sensei piped up as the group of three looked to him. All three were surprised to find his plate completely clear; Sakura still wanted to know how he did that. "But she didn't get to tell me what you guys did today."

"Teme tried to teach us how to do his fireball jutsu thingy, but Sakura-Chan and I can't really figure it out," Naruto said after swallowing a large mouthful of food. "Sakura-Chan tried to teach us water walking too, but that is even harder than tree walking!"

Sakura looked to Kakashi-sensei and noticed he looked thoughtful. After a moment he spoke. "Naruto and Sakura-Chan, your chakra affinity is probably not fire," Kakashi-sensei said. "I do have some chakra paper to test to see what type of affinity you have, but I was going to save that for after the exams."

"Come on Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted as his eyes sparkled.

"I would like to know what other element I am affiliated with," Sasuke-kun said as he too looked at Kakashi-sensei with a slight sparkle in his eyes.

Sakura smiled at Sasuke-kun and Naruto's eagerness before looking back to their sensei. "Please, Kakashi-sensei?"

"How could I say no to such cute genin?" Kakashi-sensei mused as his cheeks tilted upward in a smile.

"… You must have missed us, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said after she took another sip of tea. "Can we do it after dinner? I'd like to know what type of scrolls I should be getting from the library."

"You're always getting new scrolls Sakura-Chan!" Naruto accused with a frown. "And you're always reading! I like reading that book you gave me, but I think you're reading too many different things."

"What book did you give him?" Kakashi-sensei asked with an amused grin. Oh, he probably thought she had given him that book for Dobes, didn't he? Sometimes he and Sasuke-kun really were too similar.

"It's this one!" Naruto said as he produced the small book from his kunai pouch. Sakura wondered who had inspired him to keep the book in his pouch… Turning toward Kakashi-sensei, Sakura waited for his reaction. "And you never told me your team was pretty much the only team that helped stop the war! That's so freaking awesome Kakashi-sensei!"

"My team wasn't the only team, and you never asked," Kakashi-sensei said with a shrug. Sakura could tell that this line of questioning was making Kakashi-sensei uncomfortable. Was there something about his old team that he didn't want to talk about, or did he just not like talking about the third war? "That was a smart idea, Sakura-Chan. What other scrolls did you pick up from the library?"

"Chakra manipulation, chakra sensing, basic medicine, kenjutsu," Sakura said while listing off some that she could remember. She'd let Kakashi-sensei drop the subject for now; she was hoping he'd open up to them at some point. "I hadn't been to the genin part of the library before."

"Interesting," Kakashi-sensei responded with a proud glint in his eye; Sakura couldn't help the large smile that spread on her face.

"Oh," Sakura said as if just remembering something. "And Sasuke-kun was there with me too. He was looking up chakra sensing too, right Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn," Sasuke nodded his agreement. "And a few things on doujutsu."

"I leave for two days and you guys go to the library in my absence," Kakashi-sensei said as he pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. "I don't think I could be more proud of you guys."

"Heh," Naruto said with a large grin. "Thanks Kakashi-sensei!"

"You didn't even go to the library, Dobe," Sasuke-kun said as he sent a glare toward the blond.

Sakura couldn't help but laugh at the responding. "Shut up Teme!"

Xxx Chakra affinity xxX

"So this is where you guys train with Lee?" Kakashi-sensei asked as the group of four walked into the clearing. The sun had just set and Sakura knew Lee would be arriving within the hour to start their training.

"Yep," Sakura said with a smile. "We usually run around the village before we start practicing taijutsu."

"I guess I should give these to you guys now," Kakashi-sensei said as he took three small white pieces of paper from his kunai pouch. "This should be pretty simple for you guys; you're supposed to concentrate your chakra into the paper and then one of five things will happen. If you have more of a connection with fire chakra the paper will ignite and turn to ash, if you have a wind affinity your paper will split into two, if you have more of a connection with lightning chakra your paper will wrinkle, if you have an earth affinity your paper will turn to dirt and crumble, and if you have more of a connection with water your paper will become wet and damp.

"You are all able to have more than one affinity, but this test will focus on which chakra affinity you have the strongest connection with out of the five," Kakashi-sensei said as he handed out the paper. "Now, go one at a time; I want to make sure I see which nature chakra you have. Ladies first, Sakura-Chan."

Nodding, Sakura thought about what chakra she'd probably want before she put her chakra into the paper. Fire had its positive points, but it was so destructive, and Sakura was pretty sure she didn't have a fire affinity anyway. Wind also wouldn't be bad, but then again wind seemed like it would be the hardest chakra nature to control. She liked the idea of having lightning, but lightning seemed too flashy for her.

Sakura found herself wanting either a water or earth affinity. Water jutsu were very beautiful to watch, but having a water affinity could also be very useful. Sakura had read about people who could pull water out of air; the shinobi who could do that did not need to carry a canteen around.

Earth jutsu were very strong and often used to protect others though… Sakura wanted to do whatever she could to protect her team and make herself stronger. Sakura had read about people who could build a protective earth dome around themselves; that jutsu would have come in handy for the mission in Waves and Haku's ice mirrors…

Closing her eyes, Sakura sent a small bit of chakra into the chakra paper before she opened her eyes. Watching the paper turn to dirt and then crumble away, Sakura smiled.

"Earth affinity," she said as she looked to her teammates.

"That was so cool!" Naruto said as his eyes lit up and he jumped up and down. "I want to go next!"

"Go then Dobe," Sasuke-kun said with a shake of his head.

Naruto didn't need to be told twice as the group watched his paper be split into two. Watching the paper fall to the ground, Naruto jumped up and down again. "Wind chakra, woo!"

Not wanting to be outdone, Sasuke-kun quickly sent chakra to his paper and the group watched it wrinkle. "Lightning."

"We all have different chakra affinities," Sakura mused with a smile. That seemed about right to her.

"Our team is very well balanced," Kakashi-sensei said with a nod as he looked to the three in front of him. "We'll work more on chakra nature after the Chuunin exams. You guys only have about a week left until the exams start; I'm not going to drain your chakra by trying to have you practice jutsu you shouldn't be able to complete yet."

"Aw, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto whined with a frown.

"No, Naruto," Kakashi-sensei said with a finality to his voice. "It'll be something we'll work on after the exams. Now that we're done with this exciting news and wonderful dinner, I'm going home. Training tomorrow at the regular time; this time try not to be late!"

Sakura waved to their silver haired sensei before turning to watch Naruto's pout worsen. "There are always scrolls about wind jutsu and wind nature," Sakura told Naruto helpfully. "We could go to the library tomorrow to check them out."

"Kakashi-sensei did say he wouldn't teach us jutsu," Sasuke-kun responded with a smirk. "Not that we couldn't research on our own."


	9. And Now She's Just Like Us

So I started this chapter on Saturday night… we'll see if it gets updated on Saturday or not : ) And I'm sorry if you hate me after this chapter… I thought I did enough foreshadowing to have this not be the biggest surprise ever, but we'll see. Either way, I think this even is going to be a big make or break part of Sakura's training. Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

And Now She's Just Like Us

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><p>Sakura's eyes scanned the board in front of her for possible openings. Shikamaru was an intense player, and even when it looked like he had left an opening it was probably a false opening. She had learned that a few days ago when they had started to play.<p>

After three days of solid Go for a few morning hours Sakura could seriously say she was getting better at strategy. She understood game strategy was different from battle field strategy, but playing against Shikamaru every morning had caused her to start thinking on her feet quicker than she had normally done. It pushed her comfort zone, which was something she desperately needed.

Trying to decide where to put her black piece, Sakura's eyed the brunette headed shinobi before sighing. Shikamaru's face never gave anything away, and even though he looked bored at the moment, Sakura knew he was planning his next few moves in advance.

Placing her piece in a location away from the rest of his pieces but still slightly close to her own, Sakura started to try to expand her side.

"Bold move," Shikamaru muttered under his breath as his keen eyes grabbed a white piece and placed it on the board. She had already known he was going to be able to counteract her move. Placing another piece in a totally different location, Sakura waited for his turn again.

"You're trying new strategy," Shikamaru commented casually as he scanned the board. Sakura found herself nodding before she watched Shikamaru place his piece down in a spot that would hinder her greatly.

"I'm going to concede," Sakura said as she glanced to the clock. "I know you're going to win this game, and it's getting pretty late."

Shikamaru's eyes shown in surprise before he nodded and stood. "I hadn't realized it was getting so late. I only have a few more days left of waking up early, but I would like to continue to play Go with you every once in a while… you play very differently than Asuma-sensei and my dad."

"I don't know whether I should take that as a compliment or not," Sakura said as she followed Shikamaru out of her quiet house.

She wouldn't say it out loud, but of course she was a little worried. Her parents were supposed to be back from their business trip to Suna a few days ago, but they had yet to show or send a letter saying they were going to be late.

Because they were merchants, they did not travel as fast as shinobi and they often came home later than what they had said they were going to… Sakura didn't know why she was worried about them, but she was.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura followed Shikamaru down the road. She'd think about her mother and father later. "Troublesome woman," Shikamaru said with a frown as he tucked his hands into his pockets. "It's a compliment. It helps me think up new strategies to use against them. You conceded too easily in the last game by the way."

"We were going to have to leave anyways," Sakura said with a simple shrug. "And it's not about the end result of the game for me; I like learning and testing different things as we play, Shikamaru."

"I wish you were on my team instead of Ino," Shikamaru said sourly. "Ino would never play the game that way."

"Still hearing all about 'Sasuke-kuuuuuuun'?" Sakura said in a teasing voice. It was so easy to mock, but a few weeks ago she had been in Ino's shoes. Of course she still loved Sasuke-kun, or at least she thought she did.

Sasuke-kun was a strong shinobi who had very important goals… Sakura knew she wasn't even on his radar at the moment. Sasuke needed to get stronger, and one way Sakura could help him get stronger was to get stronger herself.

She'd help him when the time came, because she knew how important his goal was to him. He lived, breathed, and dreamed of killing a certain man. Sakura would support him and help him any way she could.

"Don't even start with that," Shikamaru said with a glare. "I have to hear that for the rest of the morning… don't ruin my favorite part of my mornings."

"Sorry Shikamaru," Sakura said as she smiled toward him. "It's actually kind of fun to tease you."

"So fun," Shikamaru muttered sarcastically before he started to head off in a different direction. Taking a hand out of his pocket, he waved briefly at her before putting it back in and continuing to walk down the street.

"Bye Shikamaru!" Sakura said with a smile as she continued on her way. She was excited to see what Kakashi-sensei had in store for her today.

After getting the hang of water walking, she and Kakashi-sensei had been doing some basic work with her dagger. After yesterday's session, Kakashi-sensei had promised to work on something new with her today.

Walking down the street, Sakura allowed herself to muse over the past few days. Training with Lee-senpai had been going slow, but well. Sasuke-kun and Naruto were still coming with her, and Sakura found the more time she was spending with the two the better their team relationship was becoming.

The group of three had training with Kakashi-sensei after lunch every day, dinner at her house every other night (even though Naruto was campaigning for it to be every night), and their night sessions with Lee-senpai.

Naruto and Sasuke-kun really only used Lee's training sessions to work on taijutsu with each other, or to try to beat the crap out of each other. The run around the village had been the one thing all four of them did together before the training began, and Sakura found that she liked how Lee-senpai seemed to be able to annoy both Sasuke-kun and Naruto without even knowing it.

Continuing her walk to the training field, Sakura's mind wandered to what she was going to do after her session with Kakashi. She had brought a backpack full of scrolls and books she had already memorized from the library.

She hadn't been able to go back to the library since the day after she, Naruto, and Sasuke-kun had learned about their chakra affinity. She had found a lot of scrolls dealing with doton or earth chakra, but the ones she grabbed had been very basic. She already knew earth jutsu were most often used for protection. It kind of fit her personality that she was an earth user because she wanted to protect her teammates and her precious people.

Finding herself at the training field, Sakura was surprised to find she was the first one there. Kakashi-sensei had been making a serious effort with coming to their sessions early. She looked for a scroll that would tell her he was on a mission, but didn't find one.

Frowning, Sakura decided to stretch and get to work on some katas. Kakashi-sensei would come when he decided to come. She could look for him with her chakra, but she assumed he had a legitimate reason for being late.

Sitting on the ground, Sakura stretched out her calf muscles and her legs. The muscles in her legs had been extremely sore over the course of the week. She had been adding ginger to her tea in the mornings because ginger was supposed to help with muscle aches, and even though she could tell it was doing something, it wasn't doing a whole lot.

She had been working more in the past week than she had her whole life in trying to get stronger, and Sakura took pride in the way her body ached. Bringing her arms above her head, Sakura tried to work the stiffness out of her body.

After doing a few more stretches, Sakura stood up and grabbed the long knife from its sheath. She had been getting more and more use to the small weapon, and was beginning to try to think of different ways to use it.

Obviously, Sakura knew the dagger was meant for short ranged fighting, but Sakura also wondered what would happen if she used it as a projectile? She had seen Sasuke-kun throw his wind shuriken, and that had been awesome, and she knew kunai could be thrown. Maybe she would need to learn how to throw her dagger in case of an emergency?

Sakura was trying to cover all of her bases when dealing with the upcoming Chuunin exams, but even she knew there was only so much one could do in a few weeks. She just hoped her training would be enough to help her team pass the exams.

Finding a good target a few yards away in a tree, Sakura launched her dagger forward. The dagger was a lot heavier than a kunai, and because of this her aim had been off. Watching the dagger fall into the ground a few feet in front of the tree Sakura frowned.

Walking over to grab her weapon, Sakura wiped the dirt and grass off of it before turning to the entrance of the training ground; she could feel Kakashi-sensei's chakra coming.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura called as she sheathed her weapon and started to walk over to him. Noticing the very serious look on his face and his slumped shoulders, Sakura took a breath before frowning. "Is something wrong?"

"…" Kakashi looked torn for a second; whatever he was about to say to her, Sakura knew he didn't want to be the one to say it. "Two days ago two bodies were found a few miles outside of Konoha…"

"That's awful," Sakura said as her frown worsened. "But what does that have to do with you?"

"It has to do with you, Sakura-Chan," Kakashi-sensei said as he took a step forward. Her sensei was only a foot away from her at this point. "The two were merchants and had been on their way back from Suna after a successful trade."

"…" Sakura's breath caught in her throat. He couldn't be talking about her parents, right?" "Kakashi-sensei?"

"They were your parents Sakura-Chan," Kakashi-sensei said as he put his hand on her shoulder.

"What happened to them?" Sakura asked as tears began to fall down her cheeks. How the hell could that happen? Her parents were always so careful and stuck to the main roads! They never traveled at night and were always very careful about everything!

"They're not completely sure," Kakashi-sensei said as he brought his other hand onto her other shoulder. Sakura's body was shaking from the tears at this point, and she couldn't feel the comfort he was trying to give to her. She couldn't even hear what he was saying to her… "They think it was a shinobi of some kind… there wasn't a lot left at the site. That's why it took so long to recognize they were your parents."

Sakura felt herself breaking as she kneeled to the ground and continued to shake. Her parents were dead. Her_ parents_ were _dead._

They weren't around a lot, but Kami they were still her parents and she loved them! They were gone!

Sakura didn't feel the moment when Kakashi-sensei wrapped his arms around her completely and pulled her into a tighter embrace. She couldn't feel anything at that moment.

Xxx And Now She's Just Like Us xxXX

When Sasuke and Naruto arrived at the training grounds later that day, they found Kakashi-sensei and Sakura in a rather strange position. Sasuke noticed how Kakashi was holding Sakura tightly, and he also had noticed the dried tears that covered Sakura's face, and her shaking shoulders.

"Sakura-Chan?" Naruto asked as he approached the two. Sasuke was much more careful and stayed back a few feet to watch in awe at what was happening before him. It had been a while since he had experienced someone completely lose it and break like what Sakura was doing in front of him. What had happened?

"Not right now, Naruto," Kakashi muttered as his hand when through Sakura's hair. It was weird to see their sensei acting so soft and comforting, but whatever Sakura was going through right now, it appeared she needed it.

"… What happened?" Sasuke found himself asking, because even though he didn't want to admit it, it hurt seeing Sakura in that much pain. The past week had been completely different than what he had been expecting when he had joined team seven. He had been developing actual friendships with Sakura and the Dobe; he was starting to care about them.

"Let's head to Sakura-Chan's house and then we'll talk about it," Kakashi said with a sigh as he stood. Kakashi still cradled Sakura's body against his own and the group of four began to walk back through town.

Sasuke's mind was racing and he found himself getting angrier and angrier as the group walked. Had someone hurt Sakura? It certainly seemed like that was the case. He sent a look toward Naruto, and the two made a silent promise to kick some serious ass when they finally found out what had happened.

As the group arrived at Sakura's house, Kakashi excused himself to put Sakura in her room. The pinkette had fallen asleep on their way to her house.

Sitting down in her living room, Sasuke sent a look Naruto's way. "What's going on Teme?" The Dobe asked him. "Did you hurt Sakura-Chan?"

"Yeah right Dobe," Sasuke responded with a frown.

"Then what's going on?" Naruto asked as he sat down beside Sasuke. Sasuke sighed before he shrugged.

"Her parents are dead," Kakashi's voice rang from the bottom of the stairs. Both Sasuke and Naruto flinched at Kakashi's voice.

"What do you mean dead?" Naruto asked with a frown as he sat forward in his seat.

"I mean _dead _dead Naruto," Kakashi said with a sigh as he walked over to a chair across from where the two were sitting. "They were traveling merchants on their way home from Suna. Their bodies were found a few days ago, but their bodies weren't identified until this morning."

"What happened?" Sasuke found himself asking as he sat forward in his seat. How could something like this happen to Sakura's parents? Her family seemed like the happy nuclear family that everyone's family wanted to be.

"They think it was rogue shinobi," Kakashi said as he rubbed his eye tiredly. "Whatever it was, there wasn't a lot left of the bodies; that's why it took them so long to identify the bodies."

"… Was there really that little left?" Sasuke found himself asking out of curiosity and slight disgust. He understood there were people out there that killed others; his whole family had been murdered for Kami's sake. But, Sasuke didn't understand the overkill that some people used; it was completely unnecessary.

"Unfortunately yes," Kakashi said as he looked to both Naruto and himself. Sasuke frowned. "They were a few miles away from Konoha… the Hokage is taking this very seriously because it was such a vicious attack and it happened this close to our gates without us knowing."

"How do they know it's not some stupid thieves or something?" Naruto asked as he rubbed his hands together nervously. Sasuke sighed before looking at the blond.

Naruto had no idea what it was like to lose parents because he had never had them. While Sasuke now understood how unfortunate that was for him, Naruto still didn't understand how awful it was to have your parents stripped away from you and to be left with nothing.

"With the way the bodies were left there is no way this was a common thief or even a civilian," Kakashi said as he leaned back in his chair. "I'm not going to go into great detail with you about the bodies, but there was _very little_ left of them… plus nothing was stolen from the cart the two had been carrying along with them."

"Disgusting," Sasuke found himself saying before he could stop himself. Kami he hated useless death. This was beginning to remind him of _that man_ and his need to _test his abilities. _Sasuke shuddered as a spike of rage shot through him.

"I agree with you," Kakashi said before closing his eyes. "Now, I'm going to be staying here for a while to make sure Sakura-Chan is doing alright. I'll be cancelling training for today, but I'll find you a substitute instructor for tomorrow. You guys still have the exams in a week."

"What if Sakura doesn't want to do the exams?" Sasuke couldn't stop himself from asking. He understood loss and how it affected someone. He really couldn't see himself trying out for the exams a week after he had lost his parents.

"I honestly don't know," Kakashi said with a shrug. "But that's going to be up to her. If she doesn't want to do the exams then I can try to find another genin who needs a team-"

"No way!" Naruto yelled fiercely. "We're a team! If Sakura-Chan is not ready for the exams in a week then I'll wait until she is ready!"

Even though this would ultimately slow down his quest in becoming more and more powerful, Sasuke found himself nodding along in agreement. Looking to Kakashi, Sasuke noticed the sad smile that appeared on his face at their responses.

"You guys really are a great team," Kakashi said as he stood from his chair. "I'm going to the Hokage's tower. We'll try to get into contact with some relatives that might be willing to stay with Sakura-Chan and watch over her, but until then I'm going to be staying here. Can you guys stay here until I get back?"

Sasuke and Naruto both nodded quickly while Kakashi smiled his sad smile again before leaving. Turning to Naruto, Sasuke frowned as he watched Naruto's mind race.

"She's just like us now," Naruto said as he looked at the ground in front of him.

"Don't put me in the same category as you Dobe," Sasuke found himself saying before he could stop himself. Kami, this was making him think about what had happened with his own family, and that made him angry and irrational.

"Shut up Teme," Naruto sent a glare toward the Uchiha, and Sasuke could only freeze at the look in the blond's eyes. Naruto's blue eyes were filled with pain, suffering, and understanding. Sasuke had to turn away from his gaze quickly. "Sakura-Chan is going to need us to be there for her, and we can't fight like idiots anymore!"

"I know," Sasuke conceded with a nod. The anger that was bubbling inside him deflated when he thought about their teammate who was asleep upstairs. He still couldn't wrap his head around what had happened completely, but he knew Sakura would need his, Naruto, and Kakashi's support.

"Then' you'll agree when I say I think we should stay here," Naruto said with a nod.

"No way Dobe," Sasuke shook his head quickly. "We can't invade her house, and there's no way I want to live here with you guys."

"We all live alone," Naruto said with a frown. "You, Kakashi-sensei, me, and now Sakura-Chan. It just makes sense. I'm going to bring it up to Kakashi-sensei when he gets back."

"Whatever Dobe," Sasuke said as he walked into the kitchen to make tea. The longer he thought about the Dobe's idea though, the more he had to agree with it… Kami-sama he hated himself for agreeing with the Dobe sometimes.


	10. And Life Goes On

I got to and over 100 reviews last night! Thank you all for reviewing and liking my story : ) I can definitely not promise that I will keep updating this frequently (because updating every day is _not_ realistic), but I will try my hardest to update as much as possible.

And once again, I'm sorry about the last chapter… I almost cried when writing it. Ugh feelings.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

And Life Goes On

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><p>She had been awake for a while now, but she didn't want to leave her room yet. She could feel Naruto, Sasuke-kun, and Kakashi-sensei's chakra signatures downstairs and she hadn't wanted to face her team yet. The whole situation was still surreal and completely mind-numbing.<p>

Her parents were no longer alive, and now she was all alone. The back of her mind told her she wasn't really alone… she had three people downstairs who were trying to be there for her, but Sakura ignored that voice for the moment. She wanted to pity herself for as long as she could, because when she left her room and faced her team, she knew they would understand her pain, and she couldn't deal with that.

Sasuke-kun had lost his whole family, his whole freaking family and he was okay. Naruto had never had a family and the blond had turned out fine too. She could also see Kakashi-sensei had experienced loss more than once in the way he carried himself. Sakura knew she shouldn't feel the way she did, but she bitter at the three's ability to move on and cope with the loss of a loved one.

Feeling Sasuke-kun and Naruto's chakra leave her house, Sakura wrapped herself in a blanket before leaving her room. She wasn't hungry at all, but she knew she would have to take in at least a little bit of liquids so she didn't dehydrate herself. After reading so many medical scrolls, Sakura refused to allow her health deteriorate; her parents would have been livid if she made herself sick over them.

Walking down her stairs, Sakura's eyes rested on Kakashi-sensei before she walked past him and into the kitchen. Filling the tea kettle with water, Sakura placed it on the stove to boil.

"Sakura-Chan," Kakashi said as he leaned against the doorframe. Sakura couldn't look at him at the moment. Her eyes were still puffy and red, and Sakura was sure she looked horrible. She decided to stick to the task of making tea before she would climb back up the stairs and burrow herself back into her bed.

Sakura heard Kakashi sigh before taking a seat at her kitchen island… it was her kitchen now wasn't it? The whole house belonged to her. Tears began to gather in the corners of her eyes as her thoughts drifted to everything that was now hers instead of her parent's.

"Sakura-Chan," Kakashi said while he stood up and wrapped his arms around her. Sakura melted into his embrace and quickly tried to wipe her eyes; the tears refused to stop.

"I'm sorry Kakashi-sensei," Sakura's voice cracked from lack of use and the constant tears that couldn't seem to stop. "I just keep thinking of them."

"That's going to happen a lot," Kakashi said as he patted her head soothingly. "But that's why Naruto, Sasuke, and I will be here with you. You shouldn't be alone right now in your time of need; do you have a relative or anything you want me to contact?"

Sakura found herself shaking her head. For her whole life it had just been her, Mom, and Dad. Both of her parents were the only child in their family, and both of her grandparents had passed away before she had been born. She literally had no family left.

"I'll be moving in then for a while," Kakashi said as his fingered brushed their way through her snarly pink locks. Sakura found a lot of comfort in Kakashi's words and actions; they seemed to soothe her enough to calm down.

"Where did Sasuke-kun and Naruto go?" Sakura asked after she had taken a deep breath. Her eyes still glistened with unshed tears and her voice still cracked, but she felt a little better.

"To train," Kakashi said while he unwrapped his arms from around her body. Grabbing the tea kettle that had begun to boil from the stove, Kakashi poured the warm liquid into two different tea cups. Looking through her tea only briefly, he picked lavender and chamomile for her and something citrusy for himself.

Sakura found a small comfort in the way the warm tea cup felt against her hands. "Who is training them if you're not there?"

"I stuck them with Gai," Kakashi said with a rather mischievous look to his lone gray eye and smirked. "That's Lee's sensei."

Thinking about the type of sensei Lee-senpai probably had, Sakura couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her face. "You're cruel Kakashi-sensei."

"Ahh, so I am," Kakashi-sensei said with a nod of agreement. "Gai's team is training for the Chuunin exams so he said he could handle a few more 'youthful' students."

Thinking about the Chuunin exams caused Sakura to frown. How many days did they have until they were supposed take the exams?

"Don't even worry about them Sakura-Chan," Kakashi said with a stern voice. "Naruto and Sasuke both agreed that they wouldn't participate in the exams if you're not going to, and there is no reason that you have to force yourself to take them. If you're ready then you're ready, if you're not then you're not. The decision is yours alone and we will all support you on it."

Tears collected in Sakura's eyes again; both Sasuke and Naruto had agreed not to take the exams without her? She would have never believed the two males would do that for her if this had happened before their mission to Wave.

Since then, Sakura could tell Sasuke-kun cared for her and Naruto. It was small, but was growing every day. For Sasuke-kun to agree to wait to the take the exams was a very big deal. Naruto too had developed more than crush-feelings for her over the past few weeks, and she could tell that he and Sasuke were almost like brothers.

Kami, Sakura had promised herself she'd help Sasuke-kun become stronger, and she knew taking the exams would help him get stronger… she knew how important the exams were to Naruto as well. He had to prove his strength to everyone who had ever called him week. It was then that she had decided on what to do. Even though she was experiencing a great deal of loss right now, she knew that she needed to take the exams not just for Sasuke and Naruto, but for herself as well.

"How many days do we have until the exams?" Sakura asked after she took a long sip of tea; her emerald eyes held a set of determinedness that she felt coursing through her veins.

"Six," Kakashi said with a frown. "But I'm serious Sakura-Chan. I don't want you to have to take them if you're not ready."

"I think I can be ready by then," Sakura said with a nod and another sip of tea. Thinking about her parents made her sad, but there was nothing that she could do to change what had happened to them… she hadn't even really listened to Kakashi-sensei when he had told her what had happened to them. At this point, she'd rather not know.

"If you're sure…"

"I am," Sakura said with a nod. Her will was steel, and even though her eyes still glistened with unshed tears, Sakura continued on. "When does Hokage-sama want to see me about the funeral arrangements?"

Xxx And Life Continues On xxX

Her eyes were mostly dry as she stood near her parents coffins. Many civilians she didn't know were in attendance, and Sakura was trying to be strong in front of them. Naruto and Sasuke-kun flanked her left and right sides while Kakashi stood behind her. It was like a safety circle. With the group of three shinobi surrounding her, many of the civilian merchants and tradesmen hadn't come up to give her their condolences; Sakura was more than okay with that.

She had come to terms with their deaths, but Sakura didn't want to have to listen to stories about them from people she didn't know. She didn't want to hear about what amazing people they were, because Sakura already knew how wonderful they had been. The stories would only rip off the tentatively placed bandage she had just put over her heart.

The priest was just finishing up the final blessings before the two were going to be buried. The funeral had been arranged by Kakashi-sensei and the Hokage, and Sakura was more than happy that she didn't have to deal with it.

Money had never been a problem for her family, and after her parent's death, Sakura knew money would never be a problem. She could retire from being a shinobi and live off of her parent's money for the rest of her life if she really wanted to… of course she didn't want to.

The Chuunin exams were only three days away, and Sakura was more than ready for her mind to be distracted. She had been the one to tell Naruto and Sasuke-kun that they were still going to compete in the exams. Sasuke had seemed neutral about the idea, but Naruto had seemed more tentative. He had asked her many times if she was sure, but Sakura never changed her mind. She found his constant worrying to be sweet.

Sakura knew that the two were going to try to be as supportive as possible, and even though Sakura loved the idea, it was just weird in general. The two had moved into her house with her and Kakashi-sensei, and Sakura didn't know if it was a permanent move, or just until she started acting more normal. She didn't care either way, Sakura was just happy she was no longer living alone in her house.

Watching the priest light the incense over her parents grave stone, Sakura found herself in tears again as she watched their caskets being lowered to the ground. Taking a few steps forward, Sakura placed the two bouquets on top of their caskets. The flowers that the bouquets held were pansies for loving thoughts, pink carnations for remembrance, and white lilies for purity.

She had walked into the Yamanaka Flower Shop herself to pick out the flowers. It seemed that word about her parent's death had gotten around the village quickly, because Ino's mom had given her a large hug when entering. She had also refused to let her pay for the flowers, which Sakura was grateful for.

She didn't want charity, but Sakura understood when people were trying to do something nice for her. She had thanked the woman and then left.

Stepping away from the caskets, Sakura watched as the many strangers that were at the funeral walked forward and said their final good byes. It was amazing how many people her parents had known.

As the people began to disperse and walk away, they nodded to Sakura before leaving. Sakura felt a deep weight lifted off her shoulders; she hadn't wanted to deal with anyone and she was glad she wouldn't really have to.

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Sakura turned to find her team. All were pillars of strength for her, and she was glad for them.

"The least they could do is come and say something to you," Naruto said with a frown.

"I didn't know any of them, Naruto," Sakura said as she watched Kakashi-sensei walk over to thank the priest. "It would have been weird for them to come and talk to me; we live completely different lives and they wouldn't know what to say to me."

"But they could have said anything!" Naruto said as his frown worsened. Sakura could tell Naruto didn't understand her reasoning, but she could tell Sasuke did. The Uchiha smacked Naruto in the back of the head before talking.

"Sometimes no words are the best words said," Sasuke-kun said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "They could already tell we were here supporting her; what would their words change?"

"… It would still be a nice gesture," Naruto said as he rubbed the back of his head. After the four of them had started living together the boys had become more amicable. Sakura had thought the two were going to kill each other on the first day, but the boys seemed to be really trying to get along for her sake.

"Hmm," Kakashi-sensei said while he walked up to the group. He had a large envelope with him, and Sakura was a little curious as to what was inside. "The priest said that we can go pick up your parent's belongings if you want, Sakura-Chan. This envelope has the forms we need to get through the front desk."

Sakura felt a hand encompass her hand and squeeze it softly. She had been getting more and more used to Naruto and his hand holding. After what had happened recently, Sakura found it comforting, and Sakura could tell that Naruto liked it too. His hands were calloused and rough from constant training but were warm and sincere.

Nodding her head, Kakashi began to lead the way to the Storage Yard. After what had happened, Kakashi-sensei had told the Hokage to put everything that her parents had had with them in the storage unit her family had already owned. Even though she was a little tentative as to what she was going to find in the storage unit, Sakura was still thankful she had her team going through it with her. Plus, the more she did now the less she would have to worry about later.

Feeling Naruto squeeze her hand lightly, Sakura looked up from her musing to see Shikamaru and his father standing before them. Shikamaru looked uncomfortable and was frowning, but he was carrying a large wooden box.

"Hello Sakura-Chan," Shikaku said with a lazy drawl; Sakura could see where Shikamaru got his personality from. "Shikamaru and I were sorry to hear about the news of your parent's death. Because you have been kind enough to keep Shikamaru entertained for the last week, we were hoping this would help you with their passing."

"It's not much," Shikamaru said with a shrug as he passed the box over to Sasuke. Sakura looked inside the box and couldn't help but wonder what was in the scrolls and containers that were inside it.

"Shikamaru told me you have been researching medicine lately," Shikaku said with a smirk. "We don't usually share our medicine recipes with others, but Shikamaru thought you would like to have it. The containers hold some of our medicines with a label for what they're all used for, and what is inside of each. Shikamaru said he was rather fond of your morning Go matches… I am hopeful they will continue after the Chuunin exams."

Shikamaru's ears were burning pink, but Sakura let go of Naruto's hand and pulled Shikamaru into a hug. What Shikamaru had given her had been very thoughtful, and Sakura was very grateful. She knew the Nara clan didn't usually share their herbal remedies and medicines with people outside of the clan.

"Thank you Shikamaru," Sakura said as she took a step away from him. Shikamaru's cheeks were now red and he couldn't look Sakura in the eye. "And I'd still like to continue our games of Go."

"It's no problem, troublesome woman," Shikamaru said with a nod. "Naruto told me you three were still going to participate in the exams… I figured these might come in handy."

"I still appreciate it, Shikamaru," Sakura said with another smile. Turning toward Shikaku, Sakura bowed her head. "Thank you very much Shikaku-san."

"No problem Sakura-Chan," the older man said to her before turning to Shikamaru. "Now let's go Shikamaru. Your mother will have our hide if we don't get home in time for dinner."

"Tch," Shikamaru frowned before he nodded. Turning away from the group, Shikamaru said, "I'll see you guys in a few days I guess."

"Bye Shika!" Naruto said with a grin and a wave. "That was really nice of him! See Sasuke-Teme! That's what I was talking about earlier; that was a nice gesture."

"Shikamaru knows Sakura personally though," Sasuke said with a shake of his head. The box he was carrying was made out of real wood. It was very sturdy but Sakura could tell it had also been hand crafted. Sakura assumed the box had been made from the trees out of the Nara Clan forest. "It's not the same thing."

"It's still a big deal," Kakashi -sensei said with a wave of his hand. "People from the Nara clan come up with majority of recipes for the medicine that we find at the hospital. The fact that Shikaku actually let someone who wasn't in the clan have a scroll with recipes is a big deal."

"I'm grateful," Sakura said as she looked at the box one more time before smiling. She hadn't thought that she and Shikamaru's morning Go games were that important to him, but it seemed he had sincerely appreciated them. She would have to make sure the matches continued in the future; it was the least she could do as a thank you for the gift.

"Where are we going again?" Naruto's voice rang out as his hands folded behind his head and he slouched as he walked. Naruto looked completely comfortable at the moment.

"The Storage Yard," Kakashi-sensei said as the group turned down a street. The Storage Yard was a facility that stored all kinds of things. After her parent's passing, the Hokage had send all of her parent's merchandise to their storage unit. She wasn't sure if the Hokage did this for everyone, but either way she was thankful. She had not wanted to deal with the stuff right away, and she wasn't even sure if she wanted to deal with it now, but having Naruto, Sasuke-kun, and Kakashi-sensei with her made it easier for her.

Arriving at the Storage Yard, Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke all waited while Kakashi-sensei talked to the person in charge. Looking to the two boys that had not left her side all day, Sakura smiled. They had been with her ever since she had woken up in tears. She had been right when she had thought that her teammates would understand what she had been going through; they both totally knew, and Sakura had felt a little guilty wanting to avoid them the morning after she had found out about her parents' death.

Bumping each of their shoulders', Sakura sent them a sincere smile. "Thanks for being here guys," Sakura said when they both looked at her. "I don't think I'd be able to come here and do this if you weren't here."

"No problem Sakura-Chan!" Naruto said immediately with a grin. Noticing Sasuke's uncomfortable expression, Sakura let the subject and her smile drop.

At times like these, Sakura wondered who had been there for Sasuke-kun when he had gone through this. Biting her lip, Sakura put her hand on Sasuke's hand and was surprised when he didn't flinch away from her. She didn't remember seeing anyone around Sasuke-kun when they were younger… Sasuke-kun must have had to deal with the death of his whole family by himself.

"The storage unit is over here," Kakashi-sensei waved to the group of three. Quickly catching up with him, Sakura grabbed the key from Kakashi's hand and opened the storage unit he was standing in front of.

Finding the unit filled with boxes, Sakura sighed before she took a step forward and went through the first box. Finding it filled to the brim with exotic silks, Sakura pushed the box out of the unit and against the wall.

"The stuff towards the front is what had been in their possession when they left Suna," Kakashi-sensei said.

"I'm not really sure what is all in here," Sakura said with a frown. "They sold a lot of different things… If you guys find something you want you can have it. I think I'm going to give away most of this stuff anyway."

"But Sakura-Chan!-"

"Shut up Dobe," Sasuke said as he set down the box Shikamaru had given her. Walking into the storage unit, Sasuke began to go through boxes. "Are we looking for anything in particular?"

"… I'm not sure," Sakura said as her shoulders slumped.

"We'll just go through stuff, okay Sakura-Chan?" Kakashi-sensei said as he started to go through boxes. "We'll start sorting through stuff that you want and stuff that you don't."

Smiling tentatively, Sakura started to go through boxes again. Finding one filled with scrolls and books, Sakura sat down before going through some of them.

Majority of the books had been romance, drama, or 'literature' as Kakashi-sensei liked to put, but Sakura was surprised when she found a few scrolls on ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu. "If you find any boxes with scrolls put them over here," Sakura said as she motioned to a box further away from the first one she had taken out of the unit.

"Hmm," Kakashi-sensei nodded approvingly when his eyes scanned over a few of the 'literature' novels in the box. "Would you mind if I took a few of these?"

"You can have those," Sakura said as she started to go through a box of perfumes. "Leave the ninja scrolls for me."

"Maa, of course Sakura-Chan," Kakashi-sensei responded with a smile.

"What are these, Sakura-Chan?" Naruto asked while holding up a bag of something green. Walking over to where he was, Sakura was awestruck when she found many different dried plants and herbs inside.

"They're different types of dried plants," Sakura said as she grabbed another bag. Each bag was labeled with a name, place, and a date. "A lot of these look like they're not native to Konoha… I'll have to bring this by the Nara house tomorrow to see if any of these can be useful."

"Wow," Naruto said with a grin. "That's so cool Sakura-Chan! What other stuff did your parents collect?"

"Plants and herbs aren't what they usually sell," Sakura said as she put the box of plants next to the box of scrolls. "They must have gotten a good deal on these, or they must have started collecting them for a specific seller."

"Hn," Sasuke said from further inside the storage until. He lifted a box. "This is filled with jewelry."

"Put it next to the box of silks please," Sakura said with a nod. Going through a box of ceramics, Sakura decided to place it next to the boxes of silks, perfumes, and jewelry. This was going to be a lengthy process.

Xxx And Life Goes On xxX

A few hours later, the group was finally finished. The group of boxes she was going to keep was a lot fewer than the group of boxes she was going to give away, and Sakura felt proud of that.

"You guys can practice your shadow clone jutsu," Kakashi-sensei said with a grin as he motioned to the boxes Sakura had decided to keep. "That way we'll get the boxes Sakura-Chan wants to take home faster. It'll also be good training, because we missed our session today. I'll get the Hokage to send someone over for the boxes Sakura-Chan is going to donate."

"Are you guys sure you don't want to take more?" Sakura asked as she looked at the thirty or so boxes she and the boys had decided they didn't need or want. None of this stuff held sentimental value to her; it was just stuff her parents used to sell. All of the important things her parents had kept were at her house… She didn't even want to think about going in the basement and attic to go through all of it.

"Nah," Naruto said with a grin as he held up his new froggy slippers and his box of ramen. She really had to get Naruto to start liking things other than ramen… Looking to Sasuke, Sakura was happy to see he had found something as well. Sasuke-kun had found a katana that was actually really nice. It had appeared to be an old samurai sword with strength written in kanji on the hilt. The rest of the weapons had been put in the pile of boxes to keep, but Sakura had been surprised there had been ninja weapons in the first place.

Kakashi-sensei too looked happy with his two boxes of new 'literature'. "We're good Sakura-Chan," Kakashi said with a grin.

Doing five hand signs, Kakashi slammed his hand on the ground. With a poof of smoke, Kakashi's nin dog Pakkun appeared.

"Yo," Pakkun said with a salute toward Kakashi. "What's up Kakashi-sama?"

"Can you go to the Hokage and have him send over some genin to pick these up?" Kakashi questioned with a nod toward the large pile of boxes. "Sakura-Chan said she wants to get rid of the rest of this stuff."

"Will do," Pakkun said with a salute before he started heading towards the Hokage's office. The pug left a trail of white smoke in his wake.

"Now that we have that done and over with," Kakashi said as he grabbed his boxes of books. "You guys should start with your shadow clones."

"Right," Sakura said with a nod. The group of three had tentatively learned how to make shadow clones through Naruto's instruction on the second day Kakashi-sensei had been on a mission. Naruto's explanation of "you just put your hands together like this and then do this" had not been enough for Sasuke and herself to feel comfortable even trying to make them. It had taken Kakashi-sensei's words to help them actually produce a shadow clone.

"Now remember," Kakashi said as he started to walk away from the storage unit. "You must evenly distribute your chakra into your clones; don't make too many, or you'll drain your chakra completely… not everyone has ridiculous chakra reserves like Naruto."

Nodding the group of three brought their hands together in the tiger seal before concentrating their chakra. Within moments, Naruto had twenty clones made, while Sasuke had five, and Sakura had two.

Sakura shook her head with a grin as she looked at Naruto. "There are only ten boxes…" Sakura said. "I think you made too many clones Naruto."

"Hehe," all twenty blonds responded with a sheepish smile. "Oops."

"Dobe," Sasuke muttered with an eye roll.

"Come on kids!" Kakashi called as he continued to walk forward. "It's almost dinner time, and I got Ichiraku to deliver us some food."

Hearing Naruto's yip of joy, Sakura grabbed a box and allowed herself to smile. She may have lost her parents, but she could go on. She could go on especially if she had these three guys supporting her as she continued to work to get stronger.


	11. Team Secrets and Plants

Your feedback on this story has been so positive : ) Thank you so much everyone! Now, I am going to warn you all: there is probably no way I will be updating tomorrow. I have a work meeting, and it tends to run kind of late. I will try my hardest to, though!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Team Secrets and Plants

* * *

><p>Sakura's eyes scanned over a scroll she had in her hands. She was currently lying in bed, and should have been sleeping, but sleep had not come easy for her the past few days. Ever since she had found out about her parents, Sakura found sleep to be elusive.<p>

It was around three in the morning, and Sakura knew the males in her house would still be sleeping. She had learned that if she went into the kitchen for tea, however, Kakashi-sensei would wake up and come and see her.

Instead of unintentionally causing Kakashi-sensei to lose sleep, Sakura had decided to stay in her room and read through the scrolls her parents had in their storage unit.

Many of the scrolls held information she had already known, but the scroll she was reading currently was interesting. She was reading up on different types of genjutsu, which were something she hadn't really thought about learning up until this point.

Iruka-sensei had always said she had potential when it came to genjutsu, but only basic genjutsu had been taught in the academy. The scroll she had in front of her was still basic with its information, but it went further in depth than her current knowledge.

The scroll explained how genjutsu affected another person's brain. Genjutsu attacked the chakra flow of the opponent's cerebral nervous system through the prosencephalon structure of the brain. Reading this scroll brought Sakura back to when team seven fought against Kakashi-sensei for the first time.

He had used the demonic illusion: hell view. The genjutsu had caused Sakura to see something she found horrifying. The technique itself seemed easy enough, and she only had to do two hand signs. She knew because of Sasuke-kun's Sharingan he would be able to detect and execute genjutsu well, but she knew she should also at least learn a few different ones to keep herself better-rounded.

Hearing the breathing change in the room next to her, Sakura put the scroll down before getting up out of bed. Sakura's house held four bedrooms, so each of her teammates got their own room. Sakura was more than a little happy Kakashi-sensei was staying in her parent's old room; she didn't think she'd be able to stay in there.

Walking to her door, Sakura quietly pulled it open and then walked to the room beside her room. Sakura had been surprised that Sasuke-kun and Naruto had fought over who would sleep in the room beside hers, and who would sleep in the bedroom downstairs. Both rooms were pretty much the same size; Sakura assumed both boys had wanted to be there to comfort her. The sentiment was not lost on her.

Opening the bedroom door, Sakura could see immediately that Sasuke-kun was having another nightmare. Over the past few days, Sakura had noticed that Sasuke-kun's dreams were often littered with nightmares.

She didn't know if his dreams were usually always nightmares, or if Sakura's tragedy had been something that had triggered them.

Walking over to Sasuke-kun's bed, Sakura could see the tears falling down his eyes. Frowning, Sakura brushed Sasuke's bangs from his face before wiping a few tears that had fallen. Sakura froze when she felt Sasuke's hand grab her own; his eyes were still closed, but Sakura could tell he was awake.

"It's okay Sasuke-kun," Sakura said softly as she cupped his cheek. Sakura saw his shoulders relax, and he squeezed her hand in response.

"Don't tell the Dobe," Sasuke said shakily as he let go of her hand. Sakura shook her head before she started to head back out the way she had come. She didn't care if she woke up Kakashi-sensei at this point; Sasuke-kun needed a cup of tea to calm him down. She doubted he'd go back to sleep anyways.

"I'll go make some tea Sasuke-kun," Sakura said as she continued her trek to his door.

"Thank you Sakura," Sasuke said as she heard him start to get out of bed. Turning, Sakura fought down a blush as she realized he was shirtless. She had been getting better and better with getting rid of her fangirl tendencies, but she still sucked in a deep breath at seeing her long time crush without a shirt.

"Anytime Sasuke-kun," Sakura said as she quickly left his room. Walking down the stairs as quietly as possible, Sakura tried to make the blush leave her cheeks. For the past two weeks, Sakura had convinced herself that she needed to put her team before her and her stupid fantasies of herself and Sasuke-kun being together. For the most part it had worked, and Sasuke-kun was treating her like a normal human being because of it.

Arriving in the kitchen, Sakura busied herself with putting the kettle on the stove. She knew she would have to watch it to make sure it wouldn't boil. She knew she and Sasuke had probably already woken Kakashi up, but that didn't mean she wanted to wake Naruto up.

Grabbing the tea cups from the cupboard, Sakura was surprised when she felt Naruto walk into the kitchen. After spending so much time with Sasuke and Naruto, Sakura didn't even need to pay attention to sense their chakra; it just came naturally to her.

Turning toward the blond, Sakura noticed the dark bags that hung low under his eyes. "Hey Naruto," Sakura said as she motioned to the tea kettle. "Want some tea?"

"Sure Sakura-Chan," Naruto said as he sat in one of the stools by the island. Naruto's voice was gruff from lack of sleep.

"What are you doing up, Naruto?" Sakura asked as she grabbed the pot before it started to boil. Pouring the warm water into three tea cups, Sakura put the kettle back on the stove before grabbing three tea bags.

"I heard Sasuke-teme," Naruto said as he rubbed his eye with one of his palms. "And I knew you haven't been sleeping…"

"We've all known," Sasuke said as he walked into the kitchen, with a shirt on thankfully. Passing the chamomile tea bags to her teammates, Sakura frowned before blowing on her tea.

"I can't really help it," Sakura said with a shrug as she took a sip of her tea. "Every time I try to fall asleep I see their faces…"

"It's more than that," Sasuke-kun said as he ran a hand through his hair. "I've experienced it too… they're in your dreams and they blame you for not being able to save them."

"Their appearance and what has happened to them changes every time I see them," Sakura said with a nod as she leaned against the kitchen counter. "I thought it was better not to know what happened to them, but now I'm not so sure."

Naruto frowned while taking a large gulp of tea. "It's not better not knowing, trust me," Naruto shared as he set his tea cup on the island.

"There is no 'better' situation in this," Kakashi-sensei chimed in as he entered the kitchen. Kakashi walked over to the cabinet to grab a teacup before pouring his own cup of tea. He leaned against the kitchen counter next to Sakura. "But if you want to know, Sakura-Chan, I can tell you want I know."

"… I think I'd like to hear it," Sakura said with a nod as she looked to the group of three in front of her.

"They were a few miles away from Konoha when they were attacked by an unidentified shinobi or group of shinobi," Kakashi started as he leaned further against the counter. "Your mother and father had just finished selling and trading items in Suna and were on their way home. They were attacked on the main road five minutes away from Otafuku Gai.

"The attack itself is what is weird," Kakashi said with a frown as he took another sip of tea. "Your parents didn't have any enemies, and nothing was stolen. Your parents were either hiding something, or this was a random act of violence."

Sakura took a sip of her tea as her hands tightened around the tea cup. Could her parents have really died just because some lunatic had wanted to kill something? Had their lives really not mattered at all?

"How did they die?" Sakura asked after swallowing the lump that began to develop in her throat.

"No one could tell," Kakashi said gravely as he set his tea cup down. "I told you before there wasn't a lot left of their bodies Sakura-Chan, and I wasn't kidding. Majority of what was left was blood and brain matter."

Sakura's eyes welled with tears again, but she refused to let them fall. She had asked him for the whole story, and Kakashi-sensei was kind enough to give it to her.

"That's disgusting," Naruto commented from across the island. Sasuke-kun nodded his head in agreement.

Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when she felt a tick of chakra appear outside of her door. "Kakashi-sensei-"

An anbu dressed in black poofed into existence a few feet away from Kakashi. Team seven eyed the anbu with interest, and waited for him to speak.

"Kakashi Hatake." The anbu stated as he turned to Kakashi-sensei. "Hokage-sama needs to see you now."

"Hai hai," Kakashi said with a nod as he put his tea cup in the sink. Sakura eyed the anbu who had yet to leave. "Is there something else you need, Anbu-san?"

"Hokage-sama said I was supposed to accompany you to the tower," the anbu stated easily. "It was to ensure you would arrive at the correct time."

"Maa," Kakashi grunted before turning to Sasuke-kun, Naruto, and herself; his eyes connected with Sakura as he spoke. "I'll be back soon, hopefully. Hokage-sama promised me he wouldn't be giving me missions, but if he needs me right now it must be important. I'll make sure to let you know if I'm leaving the village."

"Okay," Sakura said with a small voice as she set her tea cup down. Ignoring the sensation to pull him into a hug, Sakura waved to her sensei as she watched him disappear.

"Now that he's gone," Naruto said as he looked between Sasuke-kun and Sakura. "I want to know more about the dreams the two of you are having… I can hear both of you up at different times in the night, and I know you're not sleeping well."

"Like I said before," Sakura said as she lifted herself up to sit on the counter. "Whenever I close my eyes I see my parents, but Sasuke-kun is right… Whenever I see them they are blaming me for not helping them, for not being strong enough to save them. I know there is nothing I could have done, but I still find falling asleep hard."

"Hn," Sasuke said as he set his tea cup down. "Mine are very similar. I dream of my whole family, however, along with the pleas of all the people I couldn't save, and I also get the taunts of the man who killed them."

"Oh, Sasuke-kun," Sakura's eyes were glistened with tears again. How had he lived like this for so long? Slipping down the counter, Sakura grabbed Sasuke's right hand, while Naruto gripped his left. Sasuke's head was down, but Sakura could tell the Uchiha wasn't crying… he had probably stopped doing that in front of others a long time ago.

"I never knew my parents," Naruto said as he looked from Sasuke to Sakura. "And I don't know if that means it was easier for me, or harder for me. Ever since I can remember, everyone in the village has treated me like trash, like they hate me, and I couldn't understand why… just recently I found out the reason.

"I'm a jinchūriki," Naruto said with a frown as he gripped Sasuke's hand tighter. Sakura moved her unoccupied hand into Naruto's and he gripped her hand just as fiercely. She had remembered the wave of malicious chakra on the bridge in Wave. "I have a monster inside of me… It took me a while to understand their hate for me, but finally I have come to terms with it. I try to be happy all the time, because I am grateful for all I have, even if it's not a lot. I don't let those people bother me anymore… You guys are the ones I care about."

Sakura gripped both Sasuke's and Naruto's hands tightly as she allowed her tears to fall. How unfair was the world? She felt her heart break for both Naruto and Sasuke-kun.

Xxx Team Secrets and Plants xxX

Sakura sat on one of the couches in the living room; the scroll she had been studying earlier was seated beside her. After the emotional roller coaster of a morning Sasuke-kun, Naruto, and herself had all gone to bed felling emotionally drained.

She had slept for a few blissful hours until she felt Kakashi-sensei's chakra signature return home. He had been sent on a mission, but Sakura could tell this one was important to him. With the look in his eyes, Sakura knew that he felt he needed to do whatever he was going to do.

Kakashi had left within only a few minutes after being home and had promised to be back by this evening. The group of three had the exams in two days, and he wanted to get one final good training session in tonight.

Wrapping up the scroll, Sakura decided to head upstairs for a shower. The boys were both still asleep, and Sakura had something she had wanted to do today.

The box of plants she had found in her parent's storage unit was somewhat of a mystery to her. Her parents liked to trade and sell finer materials; the dried and bagged plants didn't make sense to her.

Entering her room, Sakura grabbed some new clothes for the day before she took a shower. Sakura grabbed a crimson shirt with the Haruno crest on the sleeve, a three quarter mesh top, and a pair of black capris.

It was still early in the day, and Sakura had wanted to get to and from the Nara compound before lunch. She had promised Naruto she was going to tutor him one more time before the exams; she felt like today would be a good day. Throwing on her clothes and weights, Sakura grabbed the box of plants before leaving a note for Sasuke-kun and Naruto.

The boys needed their sleep, and even though Sakura was sure one or both of them would like to accompany her, she knew both boys would get bored of their task. Usually when Sasuke-kun and Naruto got bored a fight happened; she assumed the Nara Clan would like to avoid a Naruto and Sasuke-kun fight at this hour in the morning.

Walking quickly through town, Sakura made her way to the Nara compound. Though she had never stepped foot inside the compound herself, Sakura knew where it was located. Everyone who lived in Konoha knew where the large clans lived.

Walking by many houses that were made of logs, Sakura scanned the area until she found the house she was looking for; every clan head seemed to have the biggest house. She wasn't sure if Shikamaru would be able to help her with what was inside the box, but she knew his father would.

Walking up to the door, Sakura paused briefly in surprise before she side-stepped the door as it burst open. Sakura's emerald eyes widened slightly at the sight of her rival Ino.

She hadn't really thought about Ino lately, but Sakura wished she would have. Ino was a very talented kunochi in her own right, and Sakura was sure the two could push each other when training.

Sakura could tell her appearance at the Nara house was not one she expected, and she could also tell Ino was trying not to say anything that would hurt her. Her electric blue eyes looked Sakura up and down before she flung herself forward and wrapped Sakura in a hug.

Sakura's eyes widened even more at the unexpected contact, but Sakura welcomed the hug. Dropping the box to the ground, Sakura wrapped her arms around Ino and held her tightly.

"I'm so sorry Forehead girl," Ino said as she detached from Sakura. The blonde was having a hard time looking Sakura in the eyes. "I mean Sakura."

"It's okay Ino-Pig," Sakura said affectionately with a smile. She wasn't as insecure about her forehead as she had once been. "I don't mind the nickname as much anymore. Is Shikaku-san in?"

"Shika's dad?" Ino questioned with a tilt of her head. "Yeah he's here, along with my dad and Chouji's. They're out back… I'll take you to them."

"Thanks," Sakura said as she picked up the box she had dropped. She watched Ino lead her to where she wanted to go, and found that Shikamaru was wrong; it seemed a lot more people than just herself had and were capable of change.

After a few seconds of walking, Sakura was able to see Shikaku along with Inoichi and Choza. The group of three were sitting in the backyard passing around a long pipe and laughing. Sensing the two girls coming, the three men turned.

"Sakura-Chan," Shikaku greeted with a nod as he set the pipe down on the table in front of the three. "What brings you here?"

"I found these in my parent's storage unit yesterday and was wondering if you could tell me what some of them were," Sakura said as she handed the box to Inoichi. Shikaku eyed the box for a few seconds before taking it from Inoichi's hands.

"I'm sorry boys," Shikaku drawled. "But Sakura-Chan and I have a lot of work to do."

"We'll help!" Inoichi said with a grin as he looked the box over. "I've never seen you react that quickly before Shikaku; I'm pretty sure whatever is inside this box is interesting enough for me to wait around to see it."

"Troublesome," Shikaku muttered and Sakura smiled at the man's mannerisms; Shikamaru was so much like his father. "I actually don't know what some of these plants are… and the ones I do know aren't the kind your parents would have been selling Sakura-Chan."

"Are those opium poppies?" Choza asked with a deep voice as his large hand reached into the box. Pulling out a bag of plants, Inoichi nodded.

"Why would my parents have opium?" Sakura questioned as she followed the three males to the house. Sakura noticed that Ino was no longer with them; Ino had probably left right after Sakura had started talking with the older three.

"I dunno, kid," Choza muttered with a frown. "But if anyone could find out its Shikaku."


	12. And the Investigation Begins

I know this chapter is short… I'm sorry! But, hey! I updated : ) That's pretty awesome in itself. I'm kind of excited as to where this story is going, and I'm loving the guesses you guys have on where it's going. Haha, I'm not going to tell anyone if they're right or wrong either!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

And the Investigation Begins

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><p>"Its actual opium," Shikaku said after he placed one of the opium poppies in a test tube with a clear liquid. Sakura was watching the older man work curiously as Choza and Inoichi went through the rest of the plants in her box.<p>

In total, the group had found four different bags of opium, and all four bags had looked different. Sakura had noticed that some of the poppies were larger on some plants than others, and some of the bulbs were a darker green than the others.

"Not all opium farms are illegal," Shikaku said while he swirled the test tube that held the smallest of the poppy plants. "But these flowers were bred and home grown with some additives."

"Weird," Choza commented as he eyed the bag of plants with interest.

"I'll have to run more tests," Shikaku said as he scanned the plant. "But I'd say these plants will have a high concentration of the five main alkaloids that make up opium: morphine, codeine, paramorphine, noscapine, and papaverine."

"Majority of those are used to make medicine," Sakura said with a bit of confusion. "How does that make this plant bad?"

"I'm assuming the levels of each alkaloid is going to be higher than average," Shikaku said while he set the test tube down. "The liquid usually turns a murky pink when it comes into contact with opium, but it is now a full blown crimson. While the alkaloids do not usually harm people when they are separate, together they are completely addictive and can do some serious damage to a person's nervous system."

"Many people actually use opium as a poison," Inoichi said with a grim face. "It's from the paramorphine alkaloid. If your parents stumbled upon an illegal opium farm then that may have been a good reason for them to be killed."

"The box was not in their possession when they were brought back to Konoha," Sakura said with a frown as she sat on one of the stools in Shikaku's basement. The group of four had gone straight to his laboratory; Sakura had been surprised at the size and all of the equipment the Nara had in his basement. "It was further back in the storage unit."

"Hmm," Shikaku said as Sakura watched his keen eyes begin to contemplate something. "We'll bring this up to the Hokage after some more testing."

Shikaku put the bags of opium on the table next to the test tubes. Looking at the last bag of opium poppies, Shikaku read over the label. "Ta no Kuni."

"Before their trip to Suna, they had spent three weeks in the Land of Rice Fields," Sakura said as she frowned at the new information. "It was a little over two months ago, though. My mom said something about visiting their shinobi village."

"Interesting," Shikaku drawled as he looked at the rest of the plants inside the box. "Many of these plants are from that area, but there are a few from Amegakure. The ones from Amegakure are actually ones I don't recognize at all."

"Shikamaru," Shikaku called as he sorted through the rest of the plants. Sakura heard Shikamaru's mutters of complaint as he walked downstairs. He seemed surprised when he saw her.

"Hey Sakura," Shikamaru said with a nod. "What is it, Dad?"

"I need you and Sakura-Chan to go to the library to see if you can find anything on these plants from Amegakure," Shikaku said while he nodded toward the box. "I'll be giving you my pass so you can get into the Chuunin and higher level sections."

Shikamaru didn't even complain as he grabbed Sakura's arm and started to pull her out of the basement; the move was so quick, she almost hadn't been able to grab Shikaku's jounin pass. She could hear the seriousness in Shikaku's voice, and she knew that whatever was in the box she had found obviously hadn't been good.

All of the shinobi villages kept things from each other, but it was almost like Shikaku thought her parents had been killed because of what was in the box…

Waving her hand in farewell, Sakura followed Shikamaru up the stairs and then out the front door to his house. When Shikamaru had realized he was still holding Sakura's arm, his ears reddened before he dropped it.

"When did you get here?" Shikamaru asked as he put his hands in his pockets as he started to walk toward the library.

"I'm surprised Ino didn't tell you," Sakura said as she walked in step with him. "I got to your house a little over an hour ago, and Ino brought me into the backyard to talk with them."

Shikamaru's eyebrow rose but he shrugged. "She hadn't mentioned you were here," was Shikamaru's reply. "I'm assuming you brought the plants."

"Yeah," Sakura said as the two continued to walk forward. Looking to the sky, Sakura knew Naruto would be arriving at the library within the next few hours; she was hoping to be done researching the plants by then. "My team and I found a box of plants in my parent's storage unit. They were all labeled with where they were from, but your dad wasn't sure what a few of them were."

Sakura could see Shikamaru's eyes glow with interest. "Weren't your parents merchants?"

"Yeah," Sakura said as the library came into view. "But I had never seen them collect plants before. Shikaku said that these plants would have been sitting for only a month or two, so it's only been recent."

"And Dad didn't know what they were?" Shikamaru asked as his eyebrows knit together in concentration. "Where are they from?"

"Amegakure," Sakura said as she frowned. "Well at least the ones he doesn't know where they are from were from there. There were a few plants from Otogakure too."

"Sound and Rain?" Shikamaru asked in confusion. "My dad's studied both countries plant life… It surprises me he wasn't able to recognize the plants."

"Hmm," Sakura mused as they walked into the library. "Do you think we should check out the genin section, or should we go straight to the jounin section?"

"We should try the jounin section first," Shikamaru said with a nod in the opposite direction of where she was heading. "My dad has sent me here before, so we'll be able to get in no problem."

Following Shikamaru, Sakura was surprised to see the jounin section guarded by two shinobi; she didn't know why, but she thought the library would be easily accessible to others. Her way of thinking didn't make sense to her now, of course.

"Sakura-Chan," Kotetsu greeted with a cheeky grin. "It's been a while… you're dry this time, which is good to see. Did you end up figuring the water walking out?"

"Yes," Sakura said with a shake of her head. "And no thanks to you; I still think you'd be a good sensei, Kotetsu."

"He's too lazy to be a sensei," the male beside him said with a frown as he looked to his counterpart. "And you're both too young to be trying to get into the jounin section of the library; nice try."

"We actually have a pass from my dad," Shikamaru said with a nod to Sakura's hand. Sakura passed over the pass Shikaku had given them to Kotetsu. The man's eyes scanned the pass briefly.

"Must be some pretty important business if he sent two genin here," Kotetsu responded with a whistle. "Need any help finding something? The jounin section of the library is a lot larger than the genin section."

"No," Kotetsu's partner said with a frown. "We're still Chuunin Kotetsu; we're not allowed in the section without official business either."

"You're no fun Izumo," Kotetsu said as his shoulders dropped. "I'm sure there's a bunch of really cool stuff in there that we can learn about."

"No," Izumo dismissed him easily. Looking back to Sakura and Shikamaru, Izumo nodded to the two. "You guys have two hours."

"Thanks," Sakura said with a smile as she grabbed the pass back from Kotetsu's hand. Kotetsu grinned before messing up her hair affectionately.

"Pick me out a super cool scroll on kenjutsu, will you Sakura-Chan?" Kotetsu called as she and Shikamaru started to head down one of the aisles of the jounin section.

Kotetsu had been correct; this section of the library was a lot larger than the genin section. Her hands were itching to get a hold of some of the information on the scrolls and books that were lining the shelves.

"Don't even think about it," Shikamaru drawled as the two continued to walk forward. "One of the guards on rotation would notice, and you'd probably get in trouble if you take a book."

"… Would they notice if I read a book while it's in here?" Sakura questioned as her eye scanned the shelves.

"Probably not," Shikamaru said after a moment of thinking. "But we have a job to do."

"You're awfully motivated. Let's try to find some scrolls on Amegakure plants as quickly as possible," Sakura said with a grin as she started to walk faster down the aisle. "That way we'll be able to snoop around a little bit more and hopefully find some interesting scrolls to read."

"Troublesome."

Xxx And the Investigation Begins xxX

Sakura was more than happy to arrive home five hours later. Between the jounin, chuunin, and genin sections at the library there was nothing on the plants from Amegakure. The lack of results had been rather frustrating to her and Shikamaru both.

After the initial two hours in the jounin section, Sakura had met up with Naruto and had given him several test booklets and scrolls to study from. The blond had not complained as much as she had thought he would, but then again, she had tried to find books and scrolls that would interest him like the first book had.

After that, Sakura and Shikamaru had tried to survey the chuunin section of the library for any knowledge on the plants that had been found in her parent's storage unit; there had been nothing.

Sakura hadn't even been able to look at any of the scrolls from the more advanced sections of the library like she had wanted too. Both Shikamaru and her and gone home empty handed.

Frowning and feeling more than a little discouraged, Sakura decided food would probably make her feel better. Shikamaru had offered her lunch at his place, but Sakura didn't want to have to go all the way to his house again before heading home.

Concentrating, Sakura felt the chakra of her teammates in the kitchen. Not knowing what to think, Sakura walked to the kitchen tentatively.

"Hey Sakura-Chan!" Naruto's voice boomed as she walked through the door. "Teme and I knew that you were probably too busy to eat so we made you lunch!"

"Dobe," Sasuke frowned while he flipped the fish in the skillet. "_I'm_ making lunch."

"Yeah, but I'm supporting you, so I'm helping too," Naruto replied with a grin as he continued to watch the Uchiha cook.

Sakura couldn't help but grin at the two as she sat in the stool beside Naruto. "How was studying today?" She asked the blond.

"It was alright," Naruto said with a shrug. "The books weren't as good as the first one you had given me, but I was able to read through some of it…"

Sasuke snorted as he put the kettle on the stove. Naruto deflated. "Fine, I just looked at the pictures," Naruto said with a frown. "I don't know why, Sakura-Chan, but I couldn't get into that stuff about the other villages. It just doesn't interest me like Leaf history did."

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to help you more. I brought over the box of plants to the Nara Clan this morning, and Shikaku-san couldn't identify some of the plants. Shikamaru and I spent the last few hours trying to find out what they were, but we couldn't find anything."

"I can check the small book library at my home for you tomorrow if you want," Sasuke said with a frown as he turned to the kitchen island. "I don't know if they will have anything that can help you, but I can still look."

"That would be great Sasuke-kun," Sakura said with a smile. "Thanks."

"Hn," Sasuke said with a nod as he turned back to the stove. "I think I can find a book or two that you'd find interesting Naruto."

"Hell yeah Teme!" Naruto said with a grin. "When are we going?"

"It's in the private section of the Uchiha district, Naruto," Sakura said with a shake of her head. "Only members of the Uchiha Clan are supposed to go there."

"I can take you guys after lunch tomorrow," Sasuke said with a shrug. "Kakashi-sensei said he wasn't going to train us that hard tomorrow; I'm sure we'll have extra time on our hands."

"What will you have extra time on your hands for?" Kakashi-sensei asked as he entered the kitchen. The silver haired male looked worn out and a little discouraged.

"Sasuke-teme is taking us to the Uchiha Clan library tomorrow," Naruto said excitedly.

"I've never seen you so excited to go to a library Naruto-kun," Kakashi-sensei commented with a smirk.

"It's not my clan library, Dobe," Sasuke-kun said while he turned the stove off. "My parents kept a room full of books at my house… it's just been collecting dust for a while now, but there's no harm in looking."

"Looking for what?" Kakashi questioned while he grabbed four tea cups. Sasuke easily poured hot water into the four tea cups, and Sakura grabbed four tea bags to put inside.

"I brought over the plants to the Nara Clan this morning," Sakura said as she recounted her day again. "Shikaku-san wasn't able to identify some of the plants that were in the box; even after five hours at the library Shikamaru and I were not able to either."

"Interesting," Kakashi looked thoughtful. Grabbing two of the tea cups, Sakura walked into the dining room and set them down before walking back into the kitchen.

Naruto had already grabbed the plates and had been starting to set the table. Kakashi-sensei had the other two tea glasses while Sasuke had put the fresh halibut on a plate to make it easier to serve. Grabbing the rice and plate of fried tomatoes (of course he would make tomatoes), Sakura walked back into the dining room before sitting down in her usual chair.

The group of four were becoming more and more used to each other; to an outside observer it would seem they had been living together longer than they really had been.

"How was your mission Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked after the group had started eating. "You seemed pretty determined when you left this morning."

"Maa," Kakashi said as his cheeks turned downward. "I was following up a lead for something, but it didn't pan out. It was a waste of time."

"Well then," Sakura said while looking to Sasuke-kun; it was obvious Kakashi didn't want to talk about it. "What did you do today, Sasuke-kun?

"I read over some of the taijutsu scrolls that were in one of the boxes," Sasuke said after swallowing the tomato he had just taken a bite of. "And practiced a little with the sword you gave me. I think you' like the scroll."

"I was reading one of the genjutsu scrolls this morning," Sakura said as her mind switched back to training. "Do you think you could teach me how to do the Demonic Illusion: Hell View that you used on me, Kakashi-sensei?"

"You wanna learn genjutsu now?" Kakashi-sensei asked with a grin and a shake of his head.

"Of course I do," Sakura said with a small pout. "Iruka-sensei said I had a lot of potential with genjutsu in the academy… I think learning a genjutsu would come in handy."

"Me too!" Naruto said while waving his hand in the air. "I wanna learn genjutsu too!"

"Well I was going to have you guys focus on more teamwork tonight," Kakashi said while looking thoughtful. "But you're right Sakura-Chan; you guys should be better-rounded.

"Make sure you guys eat up then," Kakashi said with a nod. "Genjutsu training takes a lot mentally out of you… "

With the grin that had appeared on Kakashi-sensei's face, Sakura wasn't sure what she had just gotten her and her teammates in.


	13. The Chuunin Exams Part 1a

Am I awesome, or am I awesome? Seriously people… I think I'm awesome : ) And you are all awesome too! I've gotten over 85 reviews for the last eight chapters I have written! Keep it up and maybe this updating bug I've caught will stay around!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

The Chuunin Exams Part 1a

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><p>Sakura had known she shouldn't have thought that. Rolling out of bed the next morning, Sakura felt achy and fatigued all over. This was a whole different feeling of tiredness than what her body had been going through the past few weeks.<p>

Kakashi-sensei had determined that the best way to get them to learn the genjutsu was to experience it. To say his illusions had been harsh was an understatement… Sakura shivered at the thought of her last illusion. Even knowing it was an illusion didn't stop her heart from stopping every time she watched Sasuke-kun and Naruto die in front of her…

She had been able to complete the genjutsu by the end of the night though, which she thought was a win.

Dragging herself into the bathroom, Sakura stripped her clothes and showered quickly. Kakashi-sensei had let them have the whole day off today from training, and Sakura was more than a little excited.

Sakura had realized that she had been slacking with chores and stuff around the house. She would need to go grocery shopping today and do the laundry. Hopefully after they went to Sasuke's house, she would have more reading material which would also keep her occupied. She should probably go through some of her parent's old stuff in the attic and the basement too…

Sighing, Sakura went into her room to try and find some clean clothes. She hadn't been kidding when she had said she needed to do laundry. Going through her closet, Sakura frowned when she only found a mesh three quarter top and black short shorts.

Wrapping her chest with black chest binding, Sakura put the mesh top on and then put her shorts on. Maybe she could ask to borrow a top from one of the boys?

Putting her weights on, Sakura flexed her arms before heading to Sasuke's room. Since the night before last, Sakura had noticed Sasuke-kun had seemed to be getting better sleep. She had hoped that talking to both her and Naruto had helped him sleep and put at least a few inner demons to rest.

Knocking on Sasuke's door, Sakura waited until she heard Sasuke mutter, "Come in."

Sakura smiled as she walked into the Sasuke's room. "Good morning Sasuke-kun," Sakura said with a smile. "Can I borrow a shirt? I couldn't find a clean one, and I don't want to walk around in a mesh shirt all day."

Sakura watched as Sasuke's eyes scanned her appearance before he quickly turned away. Sakura's eyebrow rose when she noticed Sasuke's ears were pink. "I have a vest that might work," Sasuke said with a small cough as he walked over to the dresser that was in the room.

Rummaging through the top drawer, Sasuke pulled out a black vest that zipped up in the front. Without even looking, Sasuke handed the vest to Sakura.

"Thank you Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said with a grin as she quickly pulled on the vest and zipped it up. She was a kunochi, so she was comfortable with her body, but that didn't mean she wanted to walk around half naked all day. "I'm going to make some tea and probably start a grocery list. I figured we'd head there after breakfast, or after we go to your house."

"Hn," Sasuke said with a nod; his ears were still a little red. "I'll be down in a few minutes."

Heading down the stairs, Sakura could already hear Kakashi-sensei up in the kitchen. She smiled as she watched him cooking breakfast; he was becoming so domestic.

"Morning Sakura-Chan," Kakashi-sensei said while he flipped a pancake.

"Good morning Kakashi-sensei," Sakura greeted as she headed over to the kettle of still warm water. She had learned over the course of the week that Kakashi-sensei really liked tea. She knew she would have to add quite a few different teas to the grocery list. "I was going to start a grocery list. Is there anything you'd like me to put on it for you?"

"Tea and dumplings," Kakashi-sensei said as his cheeks turned downward. "I'd go with you Sakura-Chan, but I was going to check in on Shikaku to see if he had found anything."

"I'd like to see if he's found anything," Sakura said with a frown. "But I don't think I'd be very helpful at the moment. Could you tell Shikaku-san I'm going to check a few more places to see if I can find any information on the plants from Amegakure? Maybe I can visit him after the exams to see what he's found."

"I'll be sure to let him know," Kakashi said with a nod as he started making a new pancake. "I made some chocolate chip pancakes. Why don't you come and eat before Naruto comes into the kitchen? I don't know how many pancakes are going to be left after he starts eating."

"Har har," Naruto said as he walked into the kitchen. "I heard that Kakashi-sensei!"

"Oh, I had no idea you were walking into the kitchen," Kakashi remarked dryly as he started to flip the pancake on the stove.

"You're an awful liar sometimes Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said with a frown as he walked over to the stove. Kakashi already had a pile of eleven pancakes on a large plate. "Are we only having pancakes for breakfast?"

"We need groceries," Sakura replied as she grabbed two pancakes and her tea cup. "I'm making a list, and will probably head there later today."

"Ooooh," Naruto said with a grin as he started to pile up pancakes on to a plate. "I wanna come Sakura-Chan! There's so many different types of ramen at the store."

"You already have a whole box full of ramen, Dobe," Sasuke said while he walked into the kitchen. "And save me some pancakes."

Naruto stopped piling on pancakes as he dropped the sixth one onto his plate. Frowning, he turned watery eyes toward Kakashi-sensei who just sighed.

"I'm not going to eat anyways," Kakashi said with a shake of his head. "You and Sasuke can both have five."

Naruto frowned at having to put a pancake back, while Sakura laughed at their antics.

Turning to head to the dining room, Kakashi-sensei's teasing voice followed her as she went.

"Sasuke-kun finally asked you, huh Sakura-Chan?"

"What are you talking about Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked as she set her food down on the table and turned to the other three that had followed her in.

"Well you're wearing an Uchiha vest," Kakashi said in an amused tone. "That must mean he has put a claim on you…"

Both Sasuke's and Sakura's cheeks glowed red as Naruto looked confused.

"Put a claim…" Naruto repeated in confusion. "Wait! Sasuke-teme you didn't did you!?"

Kakashi's evil cackle could be heard throughout the whole house.

Xxx The Chuunin Exams Part 1a xxX

Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto left the house a few hours later. The group had decided to head to the Uchiha manor before getting groceries. Sakura had spent the whole morning doing laundry so she wouldn't have to deal with Kakashi-sensei's accusation of Sasuke-kun claiming her.

Running her hands over the black fabric caused Sakura to frown; she had found the vest very comfortable and was half tempted not to give it back to Sasuke-kun, but that had been before Kakashi had teased them about it.

Maybe she should order a vest like this one? She tried to wear red sometimes because it was one of her clan colors, but red was so hard to camouflage. Maybe a green vest would do?

"You can keep that," Sasuke said as he walked beside her with his hands in the pockets of his white shorts. His ears were slightly red as he talked. "It's too small for me, and I can tell that you like it."

"You can't wear that!" Naruto said with a pout as he crossed his arms.

"Why not, Naruto?" Sakura asked with a small grin. She really was curious as to why he didn't like her wearing it. She was assuming it had to do with the crush he had on her, but she wanted to be sure.

Naruto blushed before shaking his head. "You're only allowed to wear that if you wear one of my shirts a different day," Naruto said as he sent a look to Sasuke-kun.

"She doesn't want to wear your dirty clothes, Dobe," Sasuke said with a snort.

"They're not dirty!" Naruto yelled with a frown. "Sakura-Chan just did laundry this morning!"

"Which means I can wear my own clothes tomorrow," Sakura reminded with a sigh as the Uchiha district started to come into view. "That's the only reason why I asked to borrow one of Sasuke-kun's shirts today; not that I'm not grateful, Sasuke-kun, because I am. I'll probably just wear one of my shirts tomorrow though."

"Hn," Sasuke responded with a nod as the group entered the district. The district was eerily quiet, and Sakura knew it was because the only person that had been living in the district was currently living at her house.

She still wondered how long both Naruto and Sasuke-kun were going to stay with her… she really didn't want them to go back to their own places.

"This is where you lived Sasuke-teme?" Naruto questioned as his eyes scanned the area.

"Yeah," Sasuke said as he motioned south. "My house is a few blocks away though."

"Have you gone through the other people's houses?" Sakura questioned curiously as they continued to head in the direction Sasuke had just motioned to. Going through all these buildings seemed like a lot of work.

"Anbu did," Sasuke said quietly as a large white house with paneled doors came into view. The ginormous Uchiha symbol above the door gave the impression that it was the clan head's house. "They sold everything and put it in an account for me."

"That was actually very thoughtful," Sakura mused as she brought her hands together in front of her as she walked. She had never been in Sasuke-kun's house before, and the idea of it was making her a little nervous.

"It's not like I need the money," Sasuke said with a shrug. "But I was eight when_ it_ happened, and it was the last thing I really wanted to deal with."

Sakura had to agree that sometimes it was probably easier for someone else to deal with certain things. As the group walked up to the front door, both Naruto and Sakura waited for Sasuke to make the first move.

After a few seconds, Sasuke slid the front door open and walked in. Placing his shoes on the mat beside the door, Sasuke started to head down the hallway.

Sakura quickly stripped off her shoes and followed Sasuke quietly. The only sound that could be heard in the quiet house was Naruto's soft breathing. Kakashi-sensei had tried to train him on breathing through his nose, but the blond was a loud mouth breather.

After walking through the dark hallway for a minute, Sasuke came to another paneled door. Sakura shouldn't have been amazed at the beauty of the house, but she was. It was very traditional in style, but Sakura found it to be lovely.

"It's not the biggest room," Sasuke explained as he slid the door open. Sakura's eyes widened as she came face to face with ceiling-high shelves that were filled with books. The room she was walking into was the size of her living room and kitchen put together; the room was actually much bigger than she was expecting.

"It's wonderful Sasuke-kun," Sakura said as she started to thumb through different titles of books. "Is there any order to it?"

"… Not any that made sense to me," Sasuke said with a frown. "My… my… _he_ used to spend a lot of time in here. This is actually the first time I've been back in here."

"Oh," Sakura said with a frown as she turned to her teammate. "We don't have to be here Sasuke-kun. I can try to look for the information-"

"Its fine," Sasuke said as he cut her off. His eyes scanned through the many books and scrolls that lined the walls. "After reading through some of your scrolls I finally have realized this is an untapped resource."

"Okay," Sakura said with a small smile as she went back to thumbing through the different books and scrolls. After looking through many different books in the Konoha library, Sakura knew that many of these titles were new to her. What type of things could she and her team mates learn if they read through these scrolls?

Finding a scroll on genjutsu that had drawn her attention, Sakura grabbed it before she looked to Sasuke. "Can we take a few of these scrolls to read?"

"Yeah," Sasuke said across the room.

Sakura grinned before she put the scroll into her pouch and continued her search. She had to focus if she wanted to find what she was looking for. Amegakure plants, Sakura's mind chanted as she continued to try to search the shelves.

Sakura found a very old looking scroll labeled "Ame Herbs", and Sakura carefully grabbed it. The scroll was warn and was covered in dust, but it had been taken care of. Gently unraveling it, Sakura tried to find pictures or descriptions of the plants she had been looking for.

She briefly scanned the scroll to try to find anything, but sighed when she didn't. She still put the scroll in her pouch in case she had missed anything; she noticed information on Amegakure was hard to come by.

Eyeing the shelves again, Sakura reached for a book on kenjutsu before flipping through the pages. "I found a book on kenjutsu, Sasuke-kun," Sakura called as she turned. Finding Sasuke a few shelves away from her, Sakura handed Sasuke the book.

"Thanks Sakura," Sasuke said with a small smile. Sakura felt her heart stop at the sight of his smile, and she couldn't help but to smile in return.

"No problem Sasuke-kun," Sakura said as she turned back to the shelves to distract herself, her cheeks reddening as she did so.

Silenced filled the library as Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura continued their search. The silence was interrupted by Naruto, however.

"… Why do you have a book called Shinobi for Dobes?" Naruto asked all of the sudden, and Sakura couldn't stop the laughter that escaped her.

Xxx xxX

"I can't believe you actually took that book, Dobe," Sasuke said with a shake of his head as the group of three left their house.

It was finally the day team seven had been waiting for: the first part of the chuunin exams! Sakura was more nervous than excited, but she felt that her team was more ready for the exams now than they had been a few weeks ago. The group of three had finally become a team over the last few weeks. Kakashi-sensei had a lot of faith in them; he had told them this morning that he thought they would pass the exams.

Walking down the street to the testing facility, Sakura fiddled her hands together in front of her.

"I read it too, Teme!" Naruto responded with a large grin. "It was super easy to read and there were lots of pictures! There was even some pictures on plants and stuff from different villages… like a 'what not to eat section' and stuff."

"Was there anything from Amegakure?" Sakura questioned curiously as the testing facility came into view.

"Yeah," Naruto said with a nod. "There was actually."

"Please don't tell me the plants that you can't identify are in the Dobe's book," Sasuke said as his eyebrow rose.

"Well I would hope not," Sakura said as she shrugged. "But you never know. I'll get a look at it later; you brought it with you right, Naruto?"

"Of course, Sakura-Chan!" Naruto said with a thumbs up. "I keep it in my kunai pouch just like where Kakashi-sensei keeps his pervert novels."

"_Literature_," Kakashi commented with a sigh as he appeared beside the group. "It's literature Naruto. I wanted to make sure you guys were sure you wanted to apply today… Sakura-Chan?"

"I'm ready Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said with a nod. It was sweet of him to ask her again, but she was determined to take the exams and pass for herself and her teammates.

She may have been focused on trying to figure out things that might go along with her parents' murder, but she hadn't forgotten about her teammates. She wanted to pass for them as much as she wanted to pass for herself.

"Alright then," Kakashi-sensei said with a proud twinkle in his eye. "I'll be seeing you guys after the first part of the exam then… Remember: I expect you all to pass."

"The Dobe did some last minute studying," Sasuke said with a smirk as the group stopped in front of the testing facility. "So I think we'll be good."

"Don't be mean to me!" Naruto accused while throwing a finger toward Sasuke. "Sakura-Chan, Sasuke is being mean to me!"

"Stop it," Sakura said with a shake of her head as she looked to Sasuke-kun and then Naruto. "Do you feel all of the chakras that are in there? I don't want to draw any more attention to us than we have to guys, you got it?"

"Fine," Naruto said with a frown.

"That means you have to be quiet, Dobe," Sasuke said with a smirk.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura warned with a frown.

"Hn," Sasuke responded.

Sakura sighed before saying good bye to Kakashi-sensei. Walking into the building, Sakura was surprised to find many of the chakra centered around the second level of the building; weren't they supposed to be meeting on the third part to take the test?

Walking up the first level of the stairs made Sakura realize why so many people were stuck at the second floor; a semi-strong genjutsu had been layered to make it look like the second floor was the third floor. Sakura and Sasuke shared a look before walking to the second floor. Sakura was proud that Naruto looked confused at their move; had he sensed the genjutsu as well?

Sakura grinned as she recognized the two chuunin "guarding" the door. "Kotetsu," Sakura greeted with a grin. She walked closer before whispering in his ear, "Do people really think this is the third floor?"

"Sakura-Chan," Kotetsu said with a small pout as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Of course you noticed it… Your team needs to keep going. We're hoping to weed out a few people before the exams even begin."

"Alright then," Sakura said with a nod as she started to head back to her team. On her way, she heard a loud yell.

"Let us through!" Someone called from behind her.

Walking over to the stairs, Sakura stopped for a moment when she felt a familiar chakra begin to walk up the stairs. Turning, Sakura grinned before waving to the green spandex wearing male; Lee grinned back.

"The always beautiful Sakura-Chan!" Lee said as tears sprang from his eyes and he ran to hug her. "I was so sad to hear about your family, but I am so happy to see that you're here! And you're wearing my weights!"

"Of course Lee-senpai," Sakura said with a nod after he left her go. She felt Sasuke-kun and Naruto flank her sides, and smiled. She could feel Sasuke and Naruto both glaring at Lee-senpai's teammates, but she decided to ignore it.

"I'm Sakura," Sakura said as she looked to Lee's teammates. She hadn't had the chance to meet Lee's teammates, but she had remembered Lee-senpai talking about them. After her parents were murdered, both Naruto and Sasuke-kun had trained with them, but she herself had not.

"Oh of course!" Lee-senpai said with a loud yell as he wiped the tears from his eyes. "Sakura-Chan has not met you yet! Sakura-Chan this is my lovely teammate Tenten-Chan! And this other one is my eternal rival Neji-kun."

Sakura grinned at the tick that appeared on Neji's face as Lee called him his 'eternal rival'. Bowing slightly, Sakura said, "It's nice to meet you. Good luck in the exams."

"You too," Tenten said with a friendly smile as she started to walk toward the second floor room. Sakura tsked as Lee-senpai started to follow her; was the genjutsu really that strong? Neji was the last to follow Tenten, but he didn't get too far.

"You didn't notice the genjutsu Hyuga?" Sasuke called quietly. The smirk made it clear Sasuke was mocking the Hyuga.

"Hn," Neji said with a glare as he started to follow after his teammates.

Sakura found herself laughing as she, Naruto, and Sasuke headed up the stairs to the correct floor. Looking to Sasuke-kun, Sakura commented, "He reminds me of how you used to be."

Sasuke-kun actually looked offended at her comment; it only proceeded to make Sakura laugh more.


	14. The Chuunin Exams Part 1b

Hello everyone! I'm updating again : ) This chapter, however, is dedicated to Art of Harmony. You my friend wrote a novel-like review and I am grateful. I actually stayed up later than I wanted to tonight to finish this chapter for you!

Thank you to everyone else who has been super supportive of this story! I am beyond excited with how much positive feedback I have been receiving.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

The Chuunin Exams Part 1b

* * *

><p>Sakura was still laughing to herself as they arrived at the designated meeting room. Sasuke actually still looked offended, which made the joke that much better.<p>

As she entered the room, however, Sakura lost her humor rather quickly. Even though there had been many genin downstairs, there were probably just as many genin in this room. Allowing her eyes to scan around the room, Sakura shivered when her eyes locked with those of Gaara Sabaku.

His chakra was still foreboding, and Sakura didn't like that his focus was directed on her at that moment. Sakura felt a deep sense of relief when Sasuke-kun walked in front of her to divert Gaara's attention from her and onto him. Sakura sent him a thankful nod before they continued to walk into the classroom.

Finding Shikamaru in one of the corners, Sakura smiled and headed over to him; Naruto and Sasuke followed behind her silently. Sakura was actually impressed and proud that Naruto was actually being quiet.

"I knew that genjutsu wouldn't stop you," Sakura called as she leaned on the desk Shikamaru had been leaning on. She bumped his shoulder lightly causing his ears to redden and his mouth to scowl.

"Of course not Sakura," Shikamaru said with a grunt as his eyes opened. Sakura noticed how his keen brown eyes scanned the room before landing on her. "There are some really strong people here… it's going to be troublesome."

"You didn't have to apply," Sakura said smartly as she felt Shikamaru's teammates head to Shikamaru's location; they had probably gone to the bathroom or had been occupied elsewhere. This, however, was no place to leave a teammate alone.

"Like I'd let this lazy bum not take the exams when you are!" Ino roared with a smirk as she jumped into the conversation, and jumped her teammate, or at least tried to. Sasuke-kun dodged Ino's attempted hug rather easily. Looking around the circle, Ino's eyes immediately became glazed over as she found Sasuke-kun again. "Sasuke-kun! You poor thing… being stuck on a team with Naruto and Forehead girl."

"Hn," Sasuke muttered with a glare as he crossed his arms.

Sakura grinned as she watched Ino try and fail to get Sasuke's attention. Turning away from the pair, Sakura eyed team eight as they entered the classroom.

"Who would let you apply for the exams, Dobe?" Kiba asked with a laugh as he and his teammates headed over to their corner. Sakura frowned at Kiba's loudness and what he said; it seemed Hinata wasn't very happy with the way Kiba was acting either. Looking to Naruto, Sakura waited for him to react before she spoke; she didn't want to jump in and defend him right away.

"Shut up Kiba," Sasuke said as he directed his glare towards him now. Sasuke-kun was trying to protect Naruto; both of them could see that Kiba's words had hurt Naruto's feelings. "You sound pretty confident, but I know for a fact the Dobe could beat you no problem."

"Kakashi-sensei said we'd be able to pass," Naruto said with a grin. Sakura could see that Sasuke saying something had made him feel a lot better. "I can't say the same thing about you guys though…"

"You ass!" Kiba yelled as he tried to punch Naruto. Naruto fell backwards to get away from Kiba's punch and grinned as Kiba's fist met air.

"Nice punch Kiba," Sakura said with a grin as the male started to yell profanities.

"You guys should start being quieter," A voice rang from the doorway. Turning, Sakura was surprised to find a silver haired male with glasses. She had never seen him before, but he had a Leaf headband on. Subconsciously Sakura scanned his chakra, and she frowned.

The male had a steady flow of chakra, but it seemed he concealed a lot of it. The man had almost as good of chakra control as she did, but there was something off about his chakra too… Sakura couldn't put her finger on it.

"You guys are the rookies right out of the academy right?" The male questioned as he put a hand on his hip. "This isn't a picnic or a reunion."

"Who are you?" Sakura questioned with a frown. Why would someone they didn't know be helpful to them?

"I'm Kabuto," the silver haired teen said with a smile and a bow. "But I'm not what you should be focusing on right now… Look behind you."

Team seven directed their attention on the silent, watchful eyes of the rest of the genin in the classroom. When Kiba's team had come in, their loudness had caused everyone's attention to be on them. Sasuke-kun sent Kiba a glare.

"Everyone is nervous about the exam," Kabuto said with a knowing grin. "I would quiet down before you cause a scene… Some of these people have short tempers and would like nothing better than to take it out on a bunch of rookies… though, that's kind of how I used to be."

"Is this your second time taking the exams?" Naruto asked as he looked back at Kabuto.

"Nope," Kabuto said with a sheepish smile. "This is my seventh time."

"Wow," Naruto said with a frown. "Why do you keep taking the exam if you never pass?"

Sakura found herself sighing before smacking Naruto lightly on the arm. "You don't ask someone that Naruto-kun."

Sakura said with a shake of her head. Realizing what she had said, Sakura moved her hand to her mouth and looked to Naruto for a reaction. The blond had a large grin on his face as he nodded his approval. "I like it Sakura-Chan."

Sakura's cheeks dusted red as she tried to focus back on Kabuto. It had been a slip of the tongue, but for some reason it had felt right: Naruto-kun.

"I'll share some information with you cute little rookies," Kabuto said pleasantly as he grabbed a handful of cards out of his kunai pouch.

"Nin-info cards?" Sakura questioned as she looked at the empty set of cards. She had heard about the ninja info cards in a scroll she had been reading once. They were cards that held different information about a person on it; it was kind of like a bingo book.

"Yes," Kabuto smiled pleasantly at Sakura. "I can tell you're familiar with them. They are cards that hold information on different shinobi that are taking the exams. I can reveal the information with my chakra."

It seemed like a lot of work, but would be good strategy for the exams. Sakura wondered how Kabuto had never passed the exams before if he had all of this information at his fingertips.

"So you have information on individual participants?" Sasuke asked with a raise of the eyebrow. Sakura could see the wheels turning in his head; who was he worried about?

"The information probably isn't perfect," Kabuto said as he dealt out the cards, "but I do have it. Is there someone in particular you're interested in?"

"Gaara Sabaku," Sasuke said immediately. Sakura nodded before speaking, "And yourself."

She wasn't a hundred percent sure on why she had asked him for information on himself, but Sakura watched as Kabuto froze for a second before looking up to Sakura. Sakura felt Shikamaru shift behind her as Kabuto plastered a smile on his face and laughed.

"Why would you want information on me, Sakura-Chan?" Kabuto said with his head down looking at the cards. The light in the classroom was blaringly bright, and the light was actually sending a glare off of Kabuto's glasses; she couldn't see his eyes.

"You've taken this exam seven times," Sakura said quickly as she shrugged. At her answer, Kabuto's shoulders relaxed, but Sakura wouldn't forget what had just happened. Why had Kabuto seemed so on edge?

"I actually don't have a card on myself," Kabuto said as he grabbed a card from the deck. "But I do have one on Gaara-san. There isn't a lot of information, because he's a new comer from a foreign country, but I do have this."

Flashing the card to Sasuke-kun, Sakura's eyes trailed over Gaara's stats as well. A small blurb was written about him in the top left corner; Sakura's eyes widened when she read that he had come back from all of his missions without even a scratch. Looking down into the bottom right corner, Sakura could see that his mission history was: 8 C-rank and 1 B-rank.

"All of the genin that are from Leaf, Sand, Rain, Grass, Waterfall and Sound are probably the best genin in their village," Kabuto said as he smiled sheepishly. "Though the sound village is only a minor village that was established recently… Majority of the nin here are the elite among genin."

"Kind of makes you lose your confidence," Shikamaru remarked dryly as he slumped forward in his spot. Sakura nodded her head, but looked to her teammates. It wouldn't be easy, but she was sure team seven could do it.

Finding Naruto-kun shaking with excitement, Sakura smiled. "We'll be able to do this," Naruto said with a grin as he looked to Sasuke and Sakura. "Believe it!"

Sensing movement from behind her, Sakura whirled around just in time to see a sound ninja jumping forward to attack Kabuto. She watched as the sound ninja threw a punch toward Kabuto, but Kabuto dodged it quickly by stepping backward.

Sakura was surprised at Kabuto's speed, but as Kabuto's glasses broke, Sakura's eyes darted to the sound ninja that had punched him.

Half of the male's body was wrapped in bandages, and his back was covered with some type of fur. Sakura frowned at the sound symbol that was on the ninja's forehead. Ever since she had learned the opium in her parents box had been modified a great deal she had found herself not trusting Sound. Then again, Sakura could be thinking irrationally. Feeling the chakra signatures that were in front of her, Sakura's frown worsened.

The group of three were concealing majority of their chakra, but Sakura could tell there was something off about all three of their chakras. The three either had really good chakra control for a genin, or they were too talented to be genin.

Kabuto fell to the ground, retching the contents of his stomach on to the floor. Sakura had noticed Kabuto had dodged the punch, but it was obvious the sound ninja had attacked him with something.

Hmm, Sakura thought as she pondered what the ninja had attacked Kabuto with. It was something that couldn't be seen, so it probably had to do with chakra.

Maybe it was similar to what Kankuro had used on Naruto? No, Sakura thought with a shake of her head. Whatever Kankuro had used had affected Naruto's outer body. The jutsu the sound ninja had used appeared to affect at least part of the nervous system.

What could it-

"Quiet down you worthless bastards!" A loud voice boomed as a cloud appeared in the middle of the classroom.

Sakura turned to find a ninja with a long black cloak standing in front of the classroom. He looked rather intimidating with his many facial scars, and his hands locked in the tiger seal. Behind him stood many different chuunin level Konoha shinobi; Sakura recognized Izumo and Kotetsu easily.

"Thanks for waiting," The male said with a scary smirk on his face. "My name is Ibiki Morino and I am the examiner for the chuunin selection exam's first test."

Sakura noticed how quiet the rest of the shinobi got in the classroom, and she wondered if Ibiki had this effect on everyone.

"Hidden Sound ninja," Ibiki said while pointing a finger their way. "Stop trying to do as you please. Do you want to fail already?"

The mummy looking male bowed before saying, "I'm sorry. This is our first time at the exams and we weren't sure how to participate in them."

"There will be no fighting without the permission of the examiners," Ibiki stated. "Even if permission is granted, killing your opponent will not be tolerated. Those who disobey me will automatically be failed. Do you all understand?"

Silence rang out through the whole classroom, and Sakura heard Naruto-kun gulp. She reached for his hand to give it a reassuring squeeze before turning back to Ibiki.

"Now we are ready to start the first test of the exam," Ibiki stated while holding up a number card. "Instead of sitting where you currently are you will be getting seat numbers. We will then hand out the exams when everyone has sat down."

Nodding, Sakura let go of Naruto's hand while she waited in line to get her number. There was going to be no way Naruto-kun or Sasuke-kun would be sitting next to her, but she hoped she wasn't next to the sound ninja, or Gaara…

Grabbing her seat number, Sakura found herself seated next to a rock ninja and a suna ninja. She was more than happy with her seating arrangement.

Paper tests had always been easy for her, and after all the studying she had made Naruto do, she had complete faith in her teammates.

Sakura gave a smile to Kotetsu as he passed out her test. "Good luck Sakura-Chan," Kotetsu said with a grin as he continued to pass out the tests. The exam in front of her was face down, but Sakura could see there were 10 questions on it; she could see through the paper if she concentrated hard enough.

Turning to the front of the room, Sakura noticed Ibiki was about to speak.

"Do not turn your tests over," Ibiki's gruff voice said. "And listen closely to what I'm about to say. There are many rules to this test. I'm going to write them on the board, but you may not ask me any questions."

A red flag flew up in Sakura's mind; what kind of test had rules but did not allow one to ask questions? Scanning over the seating arrangements, Sakura was happy to see Naruto-kun sitting next to Hinata.

She had known the Hyuga female had always liked Naruto-kun. If only the ravenette could get out of her shell a little more, maybe Naruto would be able to notice her. She'd focus on that later.

"The first rule is: you guys will start off with ten points," Ibiki said while writing on the board. "The test is made up of ten questions and each question is worth a point; if you get a question wrong, we minus a point. Rule two: each team is competing to see how many points they can get overall.

"The third rule is that during the exam," Ibiki said with a grin. "Anyone caught by the testing officers doing sneaky activities, such as cheating will have two points subtracted for every offense."

Of course there would be a way to lose points without answering a question wrong, Sakura thought with a frown. The test seemed to be trying to challenge people to cheat without getting caught. Sakura felt a lightbulb appear over her head… of course that was what this exam was all about! The instructor was challenging the groups to gather information from other shinobi in the room without being caught.

Sakura was happy to find herself in the back row; if she needed to cheat, then it would be easy from back here. She was just lucky she wouldn't have to cheat. Her spot would also give her an easy spot to hide her answers from others. She noticed Ino surveying the people around her nervously…

"Now to the last rule," Ibiki said while he scanned the crowd of nervous genin. "People who lose all of their initial points during the test and who don't answer any questions correctly will automatically be failed along with their two teammates.

"Now," Ibiki said with a grin. "This exam will last one hour. Begin!"

Sakura flipped her test over and quickly got to work. Scanning the questions, Sakura frowned slightly when she noticed how hard they were. Many of the questions were above genin and chuunin level. Sakura had faith in Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun; the three had just gone of cryptograms yesterday and she knew both of her teammates would at least be able to get the first question right.

Looking across the classroom, Sakura saw Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun quickly working on their tests. Sakura felt her chest well with pride as seeing the two starting the questions already; it meant that they also had faith in themselves.

Shaking her head, Sakura quickly got to work. The tenth question caused a strange twinge to appear in her belly, but Sakura ignored it. Question 10 read: _This question will be revealed 45 minutes after the test begins. Listen to the examiner closely before answering. _

Xxx The Chuunin Exams Part 1b xxX

It was almost time for the tenth question, Sakura realized as she looked to the clock. Many of the shinobi around her had been dismissed for cheating five times, and their teammates had been dismissed because of this.

Rolling her neck slightly, Sakura still felt a little drowsy from earlier. When she had finished answering the questions she had felt her whole body being taken over by an unseen force. Her subconscious mind had fought the intrusion, but she knew someone had used her test to cheat.

Sakura remembered the feeling of that intrusion though. If it happened again, Sakura had faith in herself that she could be able to displace her chakra enough to get the other person out.

Looking over to Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun, Sakura realized the two were waiting for the tenth question to be announced as well.

With the way Naruto looked, he was confident in himself that he at least answered one question correctly. Someone had asked how many points they had needed as a team to pass, but the person had been quickly told to "shut up".

Waiting patiently, Sakura watched Ibiki stand tall again; she could tell he was about to speak. "We will start with the tenth question now," Ibiki stated. "But before we get to it, I would like to go over some additional rules."

Sakura couldn't be surprised at the addition of new rules. There had been nothing straight forward about the test that was in front of her right now, and Sakura had been expecting some type of curve ball. Look underneath the underneath had been Kakashi-sensei's motto for the past few days.

"These rules will be called Rules of Desperation," Ibiki said while scanning the crowd. "First, for the tenth question you have to decide whether you are going to take it or not."

"Choose?" Sakura heard Temari yell. "What if we choose not to take it?"

"If you choose not to your points will be reduced to zero and you fail along with your teammates," Ibiki said with a serious face. There was a loud commotion throughout the room, and Sakura could see that many people had decided to take the tenth question. "Now, the other rule… If you choose to take the tenth question and answer it incorrectly, that person will lose the right to take the chuunin exams again."

A loud outburst of people disagreeing with the rules to the question stood from their chairs; Kiba was one of them. "What kind of stupid rule is that?" The Inuzuka yelled. "There are plenty of people here who have taken the exam more than once!"

"These are my rules this year," Ibiki said with a grin. "I am, however, giving you a way out. Those that aren't confident can choose not to take the question and try again next year."

Sakura's mind was reeling. If her team decided to answer the question, but one of them got it wrong then they would all be genin forever. However, if one of her teammates chose not to take it, then they would all fail.

Sakura didn't want to stay a genin forever, but she refused to cause her teammates to fail. She had faith in Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun. They could do this.

"Let's begin the tenth question," Ibiki's voice rang out. "Those of you who do not want to take the tenth question raise your hand."

Sakura sat quietly as she watched a few people raise their hands and give up on the exams. Thirteen teams had already been disqualified through cheating; Sakura watched as five more teams quit the exams before the tenth question.

Sakura was surprised when Naruto slammed his hand down on the table. "Don't underestimate my team!" Naruto yelled as he glared toward Ibiki. "And don't underestimate me! We'd never give up! Give us the tenth question! Even if we have to stay genin forever, we'll still be a team and I'll still become Hokage!"

Sakura's heart was touched at Naruto's words. Grinning she waited to see if anyone else wanted to drop out, but she knew Naruto's words had rang through to all of the shinobi who were still taking the exams.

"Good decisions," Ibiki said while scanning the crowd of genin. "Now to the 78 of you still remaining… I congratulate you. You all pass the first test!"

Sakura's eyes widened before she spoke quickly. "Wait… We pass already? Was that the tenth question?"

"Well you could put it that way," Ibiki said with a grin. "The tenth question was either choosing to take the tenth question or not. "

Temari sounded angry as she spoke up again. "But then the other nine questions were pointless!"

"No they weren't," Ibiki said as he rolled his shoulders back. "They served their intended purposes. They were used to test your individual ability on information gathering."

Either way, Sakura thought, they had passed the first part of the exams. Sakura wanted to relax, but she knew she couldn't. She assumed the exams only got harder from here on out.


	15. The Chuunin Exams Part 2a

Hello all! You may think that I don't have a life outside of updating… well I actually do haha : ) This update goes out to Netag Silverstar! You my friend are amazing with your novel-length review, and I couldn't stop smiling once I had read it!

Also, I need to do another shout out to the always wonderful Art of Harmony. Seriously girl, the pm you sent me was almost a mile long, and I appreciated all of it!

I'm glad you are all noticing the minor changes I have been making! I love the way Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke are turning out to be!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

The Chuunin Exams Part 2a

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><p>Sakura had decided that her earlier thought had been right; the exams were only going to get harder as time went on. But of course they were. The whole part of the exam was to find the best genin and allow them to become chuunin. The stronger teams would survive the longest, and the weaker ones would be weeded away quickly. Sakura knew her team was the former.<p>

She was currently walking between Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun on the way to where the second part of the exams was going to take place.

After Ibiki had finished congratulating them on passing the first part of the exam, someone named Anko Mitarashi had made a rather dramatic entrance through the window and had promptly burst many people's bubbles. Really, they had all just passed the first part of the exams, and they were already being forced to do another part already.

The way dramatic entry Anko had done had reminded Sakura a lot of Naruto-kun… she hoped he wouldn't start doing shenanigans like that when he was older; she wasn't sure if she or Sasuke-kun could deal with it.

After scaring a bunch of them, Anko had told them that they were going to start the second part of the exam immediately, and they had to follow her quickly to the location of where it was taking place.

Sakura and her team had started following the purple haired kunochi without complaint; really, they had no choice. She hadn't missed the approving grin Kotetsu had sent her when she was leaving though. That encouraged Sakura to believe that if she did pass the exams, then maybe Kotetsu would want to train _with her. _She had remembered that he didn't want to be a sensei, but maybe he'd be a senpai? Either way, his praise made Sakura feel good.

It felt good to have passed the first part of the exams, but then again, intelligence had always been a strength of hers. She knew she had to pull her own weight in the next part of the exams.

Looking to her sides, Sakura hoped Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun would give her the opportunity to prove herself. When the three had been on the mission in Waves, Sakura never had an opportunity to prove herself. She was hopeful the boys would just give her a-

"Sakura," Shikamaru drawled as he started to walk to her. Sakura allowed her previous thoughts to leave her; she shouldn't dwell on the past. There was nothing Sakura could have changed about what happened in the past, she had to focus on the future and getting stronger with her team!

Sakura slowed her pace down so Shikamaru could walk next to her, but slowing down caused her two teammates to try to slow down too. Sakura sighed before stopping and turning to Shikamaru fully; it seemed both Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun didn't want to leave her sides.

"Hey Shikamaru," Sakura said with a smile. "What's up?"

"I forgot to give these to you," Shikamaru said with a shrug as he pulled out a container of a greenish liquid and a container of a whitish liquid. Both containers were small, only about the size of her ring finger and middle finger put together. Sakura grabbed the container before looking back to Shikamaru in question. "My dad was able to localize some of the alkalines in the opium… the white liquid is a non-deadly poison that he said would work well for incapacitating or disabling your opponent; the green one is the antidote. He said it was your good luck gift from him."

A large smile graced Sakura's face as she held the containers close to her chest. "That was really sweet of him," Sakura said as she looked back to Shikamaru. "And I'm sure you didn't help him at all did you? I'll have to stop over when this part of the exams is over with and thank you both properly."

"Hopefully we can get another game in of Go," Shikamaru commented as he rubbed the back of his head nervously; the tips of his ears were beginning to turn red. "It's been a while since we've had our last game."

"I'd like that," Sakura said with a grin and a nod. Shikamaru smiled back at her before shaking his head slightly and walking away.

"Good luck Sakura-Chan," Shikamaru called as he started to walk back to where Ino and Choji were waiting for him. Ino's eyes were wide, and it was obvious she couldn't believe Shikamaru had actually sought out someone and talked to them for longer than a minute. Sakura found Ino's surprise to be amusing; she obviously didn't know her teammate as well as she thought she did.

Grinning, Sakura waved back. "Good luck Shikamaru!"

"Hn," Sasuke-kun muttered once she had started walking again. Was it her imagination, or was he pouting slightly? "What's that?"

"Shikaku-san made if from some of the plants my parents had," Sakura said as she put the containers of liquid in her kunai pouch. She would have to find time to put it on her weapons later. "It's a type of poison that disables your opponents."

"We should all use it," Naruto-kun said smartly as the group continued following the group of shinobi.

"…I don't know if I would suggest putting it on your weapons Dobe," Sasuke said with a smirk as his eyes glanced Naruto's way. "Didn't you accidently cut yourself training a few nights ago?"

"That was one time Sasuke-Teme!" Naruto shouted with a glare. His cheeks were getting red from embarrassment, and Sakura could only laugh at the two.

"And then there was the time you tried to cut poison out of your hand and almost bled to death…"

"Gah," Naruto said his cheeks were getting more and more red. "Teme!"

"I have an antidote too," Sakura said as she tried to control her laughter. "So even if Naruto-kun cuts himself we'll be able to save him."

Sakura stopped laughing when she realized the group of people in front of her began slowing down. She realized they had finally arrived at whatever place they needed to, and the second part of the exam would begin soon.

Looking in front of Anko, Sakura allowed her eyes to scan the area she assumed they'd be having the second part of the exams in.

There were large trees that looked like they were almost a mile high. The thing that surrounded the threes was a high wired fence. In front of the fence there sat a small stand where three chuunin sat. Along the fence, there was a sign saying "Danger! Stay out!" Sakura had a bad feeling about this…

"Welcome to the Stage for the Second Test," Anko said with a grin as she motioned to the fence behind her. "Practice Area 44, also known as the Forest of Death!"

The name sounded creepy, Sakura thought immediately while her eyes stared into the forest. She wondered what type of animals called the place home.

"You'll soon find out," Anko said as she crossed her arms. "Why it's called the Forest of Death."

"Psh," Naruto said as he pointed a finger at Anko; it seemed his earlier embarrassment from Sasuke had been forgotten. "You think my team is afraid of something called the Forest of Death? We're not afraid of anything you throw at us!"

Sakura cursed her luck as Naruto's stubbornness got the best of him. He didn't like having his team's strength challenge by another. It was a sweet sentiment, but when Sakura saw Anko move quickly, Sakura realized she had to do something.

"You're spirited," Anko said with a grin as she sent a kunai flying toward Naruto. Sakura's eyes widened at the speed the kunai came toward Naruto. She knew Naruto wouldn't have time to dodge the attack, so Sakura moved as quickly as she could and rammed into his shoulder causing him to all on the ground. The move wasn't the most graceful, but it served its intended purpose. The kunai cut a few strands of her pink hair as it flew through the air and missed Naruto's cheek.

Anko appeared behind the two a second later, a semi-impressed look on her face as she looked at Sakura.

"Kids like your teammate get killed quickly in places like this," Anko said while looking at Sakura. "Unless they have teammates who can protect them."

The statement was one that made Sakura feel good again. Of course she and Sasuke-kun would never let anything happen to Naruto-kun. The same went for her and Naruto-kun when dealing with Sasuke-kun. They were all a team, and they refused to allow their teammates to get hurt.

Sasuke-kun helped Naruto-kun off the ground after he sent Naruto a warning glance.

A woman from wearing a straw hat appeared behind Anko a moment later. The woman was holding Anko's kunai with her tongue… Sakura shivered at having the woman so close. There was seriously something wrong with their chakra. It was concealed perfectly, and Sakura knew no genin would be able to do that. The woman just had a scary aura about her… Sakura really hoped they wouldn't meet her in the forest.

"Here's your kunai," the woman said while passing the kunai to Anko with her tongue. Was that a type of jutsu the woman was using? Extending your body parts; Sakura sent a quick glance over to Shikamaru's team. She had once read Akimichi's were able to do that. She highly doubted the woman was a part of the Akimichi family though.

"Don't try to sneak up on me," Anko said while turning toward the raven haired woman. Both kunai were in Anko's hands at this point, and the older woman looked menacing. "Unless you want to die."

"I'm sorry," the woman chuckled as she backed up a few feet. The woman didn't even look scared at the thought of facing Anko's wraith; who was this woman? "I just get excited at the prospect of blood being shed."

"Understandable," Anko said with a glint in her eye. "Now, before we start the second test, there's something I have to pass out!"

Sakura eyed over the form as it was passed to her, and she was surprised at what it was covering. "It's an agreement form," Sakura said with a frown.

"Yes," Anko said with a sheepish grin. "There will be deaths in this one… and if I don't have you sign these it will be all my responsibility when you end up dead."

"I'm going to explain the test," Anko continued. "And then you can sign it afterwards. Each team will check in at that booth behind me to turn the waivers in together."

Sakura's mind was going a mile a minute as she pulled Naruto and Sasuke closer to her. She trusted the rookie 9 and Lee-senpai's team… the woman that had appeared behind them from grass was not someone she trusted or wanted to stay around for extended periods.

"This will be a survival exam," Anko said with a grin as she produced a scroll from her pocket. Unwinding the scroll, a map appeared in front of them. "Around practice area 44 are 44 locked gates. The only things inside this area are a forest, a river, and a tower in the center of the forest. From the gates to the tower is 10 km.

"During this survival test," Anko continued. "You will be asked to complete a certain task. Using the many weapons and jutsu in your arsenal, you must compete in a no rules scroll battle."

The idea of a survival test to Sakura already sounded kind of hard, but to add in a scroll battle with it? They were pitting teams against each other, and Sakura had to wonder which teams would be zeroed in on first… probably her team, she thought glumly. Naruto-kun had made quite a commotion back at the first part of the exams, and they hadn't been too quiet before the exam started. It also didn't help that her team was a rookie team.

Sakura's eyes scanned the area as she tried to pinpoint what team they should go after first… definitely not Gaara's team, or the female grass nin's team. She also ruled out the other Konoha genin teams… well maybe they could go after Kiba's scroll? Sakura was sure Naruto would like that.

But then again, Sakura wanted as many people as she knew in the next part of the exams. She was sure all of the Konoha ninja would underestimate her; strategy was a wonderful thing.

"You will fight over these heaven and earth scrolls," Anko said while producing the scrolls. The earth scroll was blue with 'earth' written on it in kanji and the heaven scroll was white with 'heaven' written on it in kanji. "There are 26 teams, meaning 13 of you will get the heaven scroll and 13 of you will get the earth scroll. To pass this test your team must make it to the tower with both scrolls."

13 teams passing was the highest possible outcome, Sakura thought to herself. It was more than likely that less than half would pass due to the circumstances the forest provided.

"There's also a time limit," Anko said as she shoved her hands in her pockets. "This test will last for five days."

"What about dinner?" Choji groaned with a look of worry. Sakura could feel Naruto's worry as well.

"You're on your own," Anko said with a shrug. "The forest is full of food. Just watch out for man-eating beasts, poisonous insects, poisonous plants…

"Now that you're all good and scared," Anko said with a smile. "I'll talk about what will disqualify you. First, those who don't make it to the tower with both scrolls within the time limit will not pass. Second, those who lose a teammate or those who have a teammate killed will not pass. As a rule, there is no quitting in the middle; you will be in the forest for five days unless you make it to the tower sooner than that. And one more rule… you must not look inside the scroll until you make it to the tower."

"What happens if you do?" Naruto asked with a frown. The earlier attack from Anko had initially put him on edge, but he had since been able to collect himself.

"That will be a surprise for anyone who does," Anko said sweetly as she smiled at the group. "Now, that's it for explanations. Exchange your three waiver forms for your scroll. When that is done, you will be assigned a gate, and lead there. Make sure you get to your gate and are ready by the time the whistle blows.

"Last piece of advice," Anko said with a serious tone. "Don't die."

Sakura found that last piece of advice to be a non-comforting thought. Turing to her teammates, Sakura grabbed both of their hands and lead them away to a tree that was just close enough to the booth, but also far away from everyone to where they wouldn't be heard when talking.

"We're really going to do this," Sakura nodded with conviction as she reread the form in front of her.

"We are," Sasuke-kun said with a nod as he looked to the booth. People were already turning in their waiver forms, and Sakura had noticed the booth was now covered with a black curtain.

"We can't see which scroll they get," Sakura said with a frown after she had signed the form. She passed her pen over to Sasuke, who spoke next.

"Or which teammate is carrying the scroll," Sasuke said with a sigh.

"Who is going to carry our scroll?" Naruto asked as quietly as he could. Sakura shook her head and motioned to her ears; you never knew who was around and listening. Even if she had thought this was a safe location, she highly doubted it was.

"Don't worry about that Dobe," Sasuke said with a frown as he stood. "We'll figure it out when we get inside."

"Right," Sakura said with a nod as she too stood. Grabbing both Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun's sheets, Sakura started to head toward the booth; both of her teammates followed her without question.

After waiting in line for a few minutes, Sakura handed the scrolls over to the chuunin that was in front of the booth. The male handed her a heaven scroll. Sakura looked to both Sasuke and Naruto before frowning.

"I know you both want to carry it," Sakura said as her grip on the scroll tightened. "But I think strategy-wise Naruto-kun or I should carry it. Sasuke-kun is the strongest one in our team, so they'd think he'd be the one to carry it. No one would believe that we'd actually give Naruto-kun the scroll, and people would think that I'm too weak to protect it."

"Hn," Sasuke said with a frown and a nod. "That makes sense. I would rather have you carry it Sakura."

"Me too," Naruto said as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

Sakura was surprised at the two, but she nodded before putting it in the bottom of her kunai pouch. The group of three waited until a chuunin began to lead them to their gate: Gate 12. The gate had randomly been assigned to them.

As they walked, Sakura heard the liquid of the poison from Shikaku-san slosh around in her kunai pouch. "While we wait," Sakura said as her hand brushed her pouch. "Maybe we could use the poison Shikamaru's dad gave us."

"That's a good idea Sakura-Chan!" Naruto exclaimed as the sign 'Gate 12' came into view. The group circled in front of the door and began to lay out their weapons.

Sakura was happy to see the two had brought quite a few weapons. Taking the poison out of the container with the syringe, Sakura carefully started to smother their weapons.

"Did you guys bring any food?" Sakura questioned as she continued her task.

"Some protein bars," Sasuke muttered with a shrug. "I always bring them with me just in case."

"Ooh!" Naruto said with waving his hand with a grin. "I brought a scroll full of instant ramen! Kakashi-sensei put my ramen in a scroll for me so it wouldn't be too heavy to carry."

"Wow," Sakura said with a grin. "Did you bring anything else other than ramen and weapons?"

"Why would we need anything other than ramen, Sakura-Chan?"

"Did you bring a pot to cook it in, Dobe?" Sasuke asked with a sigh.

"Mou," Naruto said with a pout. "I knew I forgot to pack something."


	16. The Chuunin Exams Part 2b

Today there is a potential of a multiple chapter update, or a really long chapter update! : ) I have a teaching conference this morning (which means if I get bored in the sessions I'm going to be updating!) and I'm babysitting tonight! I think I'm going to be getting at least one chapter done, hopefully more depending on how long the chapters are.

I seriously love this story and all the support you guys are giving it! I have 182 reviews! That's over 100 more than I had a week ago. You guys rock! My shout out for this chapter goes out to UNCPanda for a really awesome idea… I may have to run with your idea in the very near future : )

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

The Chuunin Exams Part 2b

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><p>The whistle had blown a little while ago, and now team seven was racing through the forest. Heading straight toward the tower was the best course of action, the team had decided. There were going to be plenty of people that would be gunning for them, but Sakura had decided they'd try to get the jump on another team on the way to the tower. Being rookies put a large target on their back; team seven's strategy was to get another scroll and reach the tower as quickly as possible.<p>

"I gotta go pee, guys," Naruto said while jumping up and down on one foot. Sakura shook her head with a smile before nodding to the bushes.

"Go over there," she said as she closed her eyes to concentrate. There were so many foreign chakra signatures that were going around, they made Sakura's head spin.

When she tried to focus on chakra, it was a lot easier to sense it. She could feel Sasuke-kun's calm steady flow of chakra next to her, and she could feel Naruto-kun's erratic but warm chakra in the bushes a few yards away.

Sakura frowned when she felt a foreign chakra enter her chakra zone. It was a musty weaker chakra signature, and it was rather close to Naruto-kun's.

As the chakra signature changed slightly, and then started to head toward her and Sasuke-kun, Sakura's eyes opened.

"Sasuke-kun…" She said quietly as 'Naruto' appeared in front of them. The chakra signature was off, and she knew that Sasuke-kun could feel the difference too.

"Man that feels so much better!" The person pretending to be Naruto said as he came out from behind the bushes.

Sakura didn't have to say anything more before Sasuke-kun launched his attack once the other shinobi was close enough. Sasuke-kun quickly appeared in front of 'Naruto' with a fast punch; the force of his punch caused the other shinobi to be knocked into a tree.

"What the hell are you doing?" 'Naruto' asked while wiping the blood from his mouth.

"Where is the real Naruto?" Sasuke-kun asked as his eyes darted around the clearing. After finding this charka signature, Sakura had not been able to sense another one within the area. She shook her head to Sasuke to show that she didn't think the other shinobi's teammates were anywhere near them.

"What… are you saying all of a sudden?" 'Naruto' said trying to play dumb again.

"Your shuriken holster is on your left side," Sasuke-kun said with a glare.

"And your chakra signature is completely off," Sakura added with a nod as her hand flirted with the dagger at her hip. Oh, she was soo wanting to use the weapon even with Kakashi-sensei's warning… she had been practicing a lot with it lately.

"You probably attacked the Dobe when he was going to the bathroom," Sasuke said with a look of disgust. "How cowardly."

"How unlucky that you figured it out!" The 'Naruto' in front of them transformed itself into a rain shinobi. The male had shaggy black hair, and wore a mask over their mouth. "Which one of you has the scroll? I'll just have to take it by force if you don't tell me!"

Sakura and Sasuke both got into a defensive stance, and scooted closer to each other. Kakashi-sensei had been drilling them about watching the other person's back, and now it only took seconds for them to follow through with the order.

Sasuke's hands started to move quickly as the rain shinobi ran toward them. "Phoenix flower jutsu," Sasuke muttered as he leaped into the air. Sakura quickly covered him from the ground and watched as the rain ninja rolled out of the way.

Quickly following up after the attack, Sakura gripped her dagger and slashed it at the shinobi as he rolled on the ground. She followed Hayate-san's katas with as much precision as she could: down, downward arc, left, left again, downward thrust.

Finding her dagger connect with the shinobi's left arm, Sakura grinned before she noticed the ninja in front of her fumbling with a kunai and an explosive note. It seemed the poison Shikaku-san had given her was really fast acting; she noticed the loss of coordination right away.

"Shit," she heard Sasuke-kun mutter as he appeared behind her and pulled her along with him. His grip was tight around her waist as he led her to a tree a few yards away. "You need to find Naruto… I want to make sure none of the debris from the explosion hurt him."

"Got it," Sakura said with a nod as she quickly started to head in the direction the rain ninja had appeared from. She had gotten a good hit in with her dagger, and she knew the poison would be coursing through his system in a matter of minutes. The most important thing to do at the moment was to find Naruto-kun. She had complete faith that Sasuke-kun would be able to handle himself.

Feeling Sasuke-kun and the other ninja engage in battle, Sakura quickly followed Naruto's chakra. Finding him tied up and gagged, Sakura frowned before she carefully used her dagger to quickly untie him.

"Thanks Sakura-Chan," Naruto said with a grin as he dusted himself off and immediately launched himself into the fight.

Sasuke was currently using his katana and was fighting the other shinobi who was using a kunai. Sasuke had gotten a few good hits; the other shinobi had a few deep scratch marks on his face and one on his side. Naruto quickly made some shadow clones before they all raced toward the rain shinobi, causing him to be launched into the air. Sasuke took this opportunity to appear behind the shinobi; his sword digging into the shinobi's good arm.

The rain shinobi let out a loud groan before he fell to the ground. Sasuke landed a few seconds after, his katana poised at the other nin's neck. Naruto was right behind him; one of his clones held the shinobi's hurt arms in place behind his back while Sakura came forward to disarm him.

She went through his kunai pouch and was discouraged to note that he didn't have a scroll with him. "Nice of you to join the party, Dobe," Sasuke said with a grin as he sheathed his katana once Sakura had given them a shake of her head. "I was afraid Sakura and I were going to have to complete this mission on our own."

"Shut up Teme," Naruto said, even though he was also grinning; Naruto dismissed all of his clones but the one holding the shinobi down. "The bastard tied me up as I was zipping down my pants…I didn't even get a chance to go to the bathroom… I still need to pee."

"I'll close my eyes this time," Sakura said smartly while she turned away from the blond after she had taken all of the rain nin's weapons. The ninja was currently unconscious; enough of the poison had reached his system and he was no longer a threat. "Make sure you don't lose sight of him Sasuke-kun."

"Hn," Sasuke said with a nod as his eyes stayed on Naruto. "You can dismiss the clone now Dobe. The guy's unconscious."

"Oh right," Naruto said with a nod after he had finished his business. "I'm done Sakura-Chan!"

"… All zipped up too?" Sakura questioned as her eyes were still closed.

"Oh!" Naruto said with a sheepish laugh. "Thanks for reminding me!"

Xxx The Chuunin Exams Part 2b xxX

"What are we going to do if we get separated again?" Sakura asked quietly as the group of three sat in a circle. They had tied the rain ninja up to a tree back in the previous clearing and started to head toward the tower again. It had been a good two hours since she had sensed anyone close to them… That didn't mean that no one was around them, however.

She could feel eyes on them everywhere they went… If someone was watching them, they were strong enough to completely mask their chakra; the idea scared her.

"We can't trust anyone even if it is us," Sasuke-kun said with a frown.

"Sakura is really good at sensing chakra, but what if Sakura is the one they're pretending to be?" Naruto-kun asked as his frown mirrored Sasuke's.

"Maybe we need a code word?" Sakura suggested. "Or a code phrase?"

"That's what I was thinking," Sasuke said with a nod. "We'll make one just in case. If they get the passcode wrong we'll assume they're our enemy."

"I don't feel anyone's chakra right now," Sakura said with a frown. "But say it only once, just in case."

"Ask: When does a ninja strike," Sasuke-kun said while looking to Naruto and Sakura. "And answer with: a ninja waits until the enemy sleeps. When their guard is down, when their weapons lie forgotten in the stillness of night. That is the moment when a ninja strikes."

"That's awfully long, Teme," Naruto said with a frown as he began to try to mouth the words Sasuke had just said. "Can you repeat it, or can we pick another one?"

"I've got it," Sakura said with a shrug and a frown. "We said we'd only repeat it once… I don't trust anything in this forest."

"Alright," Sasuke said with a nod. "Let's head toward the tower."

It was that second that kunai and senbon were launched at them from one direction. Team seven quickly dodged the projectiles as Sakura tried to feel for any chakra signatures.

"Shit," Sakura said with a frown as she ducked under a kunai. She couldn't sense their chakra, which made Sakura realize it was someone the three probably didn't want to get tangled up with. "I can't sense their chakra."

Sasuke and Naruto both looked alarmed at her statement, and the group continued to dodge kunai. The projectiles were separating them slowly; Sakura noticed this as Naruto dodged a kunai and went out of view. Sakura tried to jump to where Sasuke was headed, but got a grazed by a senbon for her trouble.

Gritting her teeth, Sakura ducked into the trees and waited for the barrage of kunai and senbon to pass. Watching the last kunai go by, Sakura didn't waste any time in seeking out Sasuke-kun's chakra and racing to his location.

Even when Sasuke-kun was concealing his chakra, Sakura could still find it with ease; it showed how well she knew the boy's chakra signatures.

Finding Sasuke easily, Sakura nodded to the male who grabbed a kunai in reply. "When does a ninja strike?"

"A ninja waits until the enemy sleeps," Sakura began to reply easily. "When their guard is down, when their weapons lie forgotten in the stillness of night. That is the moment when a ninja strikes."

Sasuke put down the kunai before nodding and quickly heading over to her. His crimson sharingan had activated in his eyes, and both of his eyes scanned her appearance for injury. Bringing his hand up to her cheek, Sasuke frowned when his thumb brushed the senbon mark.

"Hn," Sasuke said as his eyes turned toward a sound a few feet behind them. Sakura almost jumped as Naruto appeared in front of them… She hadn't even heard him coming. Scanning his chakra signature, Sakura frowned when she felt the chakra completely hidden; there was no way Naruto would be able do that.

"The code phrase?" Sakura asked quickly while she raised her dagger upward. She just needed to confirm this wasn't Naruto-kun.

"A ninja waits until the enemy sleeps," the Naruto impersonator began, and Sakura knew immediately this wasn't their teammate. She really appreciated the blond, but his memory wasn't the best and she knew he wouldn't have been able to remember the first sentence of the pass phrase let alone the whole thing Sasuke had come up with. "When their guard is down, when their weapons lie forgotten in the stillness of night. That is the moment when a ninja strikes."

It took only a second afterward for Sasuke to send a kunai to the impersonator. Sakura sheathed her dagger before grabbing a few kunai of her own; she was hoping this would be a long ranged battle… That was something she would have to work on once the exams were over. Her short ranged battle had greatly improved, but her long ranged battle really hadn't. She'd have to find someone she could work with on that.

The Naruto impersonator dodged Sasuke's kunai easily, and Sakura frowned at the speed in which the impersonator dodged. The person in front of them was obviously fast… maybe even faster than Sasuke-kun. Sakura gulped as the two stood next to each other in a defensive stance. How the hell did team seven always end up in these predicaments?

"Impressive that you knew that," the voice that came out of Naruto's body was creepy, and Sakura felt a shiver go down her spine; she recognized that voice.

A poof of smoke was all that alerted her and Sasuke to the canceling of the jutsu. "I'm impressed that you were able to tell," the female grass nin said as she grabbed the top of her straw hat. She stood tall with confidence, and Sakura felt her stomach tighten at the aura this person eluded. "How did you know that I was fake?"

"Sakura and I thought someone was following us around," Sasuke spoke tensely. "So we came up with a code that we knew Naruto would never be able to remember… Sakura is really good at sensing chakra too, so she was able to tell your chakra wasn't Naruto's… right Sakura?"

"Yep," Sakura said with a nod as she tried to find her confidence. Kami, she was scared. The woman in front of them held an aura of power… a power that had been greater than Zabuza's. Was this woman really only a genin?

"I see," the woman said as she took off her straw hat. "Neither tired nor ill prepared are we? This will be more fun than I thought."

Sakura's mind ran to the awful situation she and Sasuke-kun were in… and where was Naruto-kun? She hoped he was okay.

"You want my earth scroll, don't you?" The woman said as she wrapped her tongue around her earth scroll. In this moment, Sakura didn't want anything from the woman. "I know you have the heaven scroll."

The woman swallowed her scroll whole, causing Sasuke and Sakura to both freeze. The only way to get the scroll was to… kill her and gut her for it. The woman was on a whole different mind-set if this was the way she was going to play it.

"Now let's begin," the woman said with a grin. "The battle for each other's scrolls with our lives on the line."

With the last sentence, a wave of fierce killing intent made Sakura and Sasuke both freeze. Sakura's eyes were wide as it felt as if a kunai were being thrown straight into her forehead. Both she and Sasuke fell to their knees. Sakura watched as Sasuke threw up as his knees connected with the ground.

"Sakura…" Sasuke said shakily as his head turned toward her.

The only movement her body allowed her was to shake in fear. She had lived through Kakashi-sensei's genjutsus, but they had been nothing compared to this terrorizing feeling the grass nin put on them.

"It's not even… genjutsu," Sakura found the will to move her lips. Her eyes turned to see Sasuke in a similar position to her; he too could barely move.

They had to move, and they had to move fast. They were sitting ducks in front of this woman, and Sakura knew that they had no chance in hell of defeating her.

"Gotta move," Sasuke said to himself as the grass nin got out a pair of kunai. Sasuke's eyes widened as the nin flung them at Sakura and himself. "Sakura!"

Sasuke's hand inched toward his own kunai, and he slammed it into his thigh without a second though. Sakura cringed at the blood spatter, but knew she had to do something... Sasuke wasn't going to get to her in time with a wound like that. Biting her lip hard enough to draw blood, Sakura was able to jump out of the way of the kunai just in time.

Sakura quickly launched herself over to her teammate and shouldered his weight as the two leaped away. She needed to stop that bleeding and give him the antidote to the poison that was in his kunai, but to do that she would have to go somewhere safe.

She was doubtful the genjutsu Kakashi-sensei had taught her would be enough to draw the nin away, but she did it anyways. After, Sakura quickly made two shadow clones and had one hedge into Sasuke-kun. She sent the two clones in the opposite direction she was heading to.

After that was done, Sakura and Sasuke both climbed to the highest tree branch possible, and got to work. Sasuke was gritting his teeth in pain, and she could already see the poison affecting his coordination.

"Take a sip of this," Sakura said as she handed the white container to Sasuke while she got out a tea bag, some water, and a bandage. She had remembered when a teabag was mixed with water it would stop the bleeding of a cut. Dipping the teabag into her water, Sakura held it tightly against Sasuke's gash. Counting to ten, Sakura took the teabag off and was a little happier to see that the blood was beginning to clot. Wrapping the bandage around the cut, Sakura looked to Sasuke with a frown.

"What are we going to do Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked as her eyes darted all around them. She had already determined she would not be able to detect the nin's chakra… she would have to use other senses to see if she was coming.

Sasuke's hand quickly flew over her mouth, and Sakura felt her cheeks redden at the close contact. The two of them were definitely in a life or death situation and her body was still reacting to him this way! Pushing Sasuke's hand off of her, Sakura was alarmed to see a snake appear out of nowhere.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled as she gripped her dagger. Thinking quickly, Sakura unsheathed her dagger and slashed it forward. The dagger caught the bottom of the snake's throat and it hissed in discomfort.

Sakura and Sasuke leaped away, Sasuke sending a barrage of kunai as they went. The snake was much slower than it had been earlier and was not able to dodge the kunai. Landing on a tree a few yards away, Sakura was disgusted to watch as the snake's skin opened up and the grass nin popped out.

"You guys shouldn't relax for even a moment," the woman said as her tongue licked her lips. "Prey should always be trying their best to run away… in the presence of a predator that is."

The woman was quickly climbing up the tree they were on, and Sakura and Sasuke froze at the sight. Was the woman part snake? The tongue would certainly attest to that. So would the snake-like body of hers that was circling the tree.

Sakura's grip on her dagger tightened as she bit her lip again… Kami they needed a miracle.

Three shuriken flew through the air and imbedded into the tree an inch away from the grass woman's head; it stopped the woman dead in her tracks.

"I'm sorry Sasuke-teme," Naruto said with a grin from a tree away. "Sakura-Chan… I forgot the password!"

Sakura felt relief rush through her system at the sight of Naruto-kun. Really, she shouldn't feel as relieved as she did now, but she did. The three were still facing an enemy that would no doubt kill them without a moment's hesitation.

"I'm glad you're okay, Naruto-kun," Sakura called over the three as she watched the blond cross his arms. "But we need to get out of here."

"This nin is on a whole different level," Sasuke said quickly. "Stay back."

"It appears you've finally defeated that big snake, Naruto-kun," the grass nin's voice said with a roll of the s. The way this person talked, it was almost as if they were a snake.

"This is bad," Sasuke muttered as he looked to Sakura and then Naruto. "Sakura… give her the scroll."

"Don't do it Sakura-Chan," Naruto said with a shake of his head.

"I see," the woman said with a lick of her lips. "Very smart Sasuke-kun. The only way for a prey to escape a predator is to live the predator a different meal."

"Sakura," Sasuke said as his eyes looked down. "Give her the scroll."

"Come on Teme!" Naruto yelled as he jumped to Sakura and Sasuke's tree branch. "I know you're worried about us, but you're acting like a coward. You, Sasuke Uchiha, are not a coward! I don't know how strong this ninja is, but what guarantee is there that she'll let us go if we give her the scroll?"

"Naruto!" Sasuke said with a frown. "You don't understand the situation."

"Hehehe," The woman's laugh turned male, and it caused a shiver to go up and down team seven's backs. Sakura cringed when she heard it. "Naruto-kuuuuun… You are correct! I would much rather kill you and then take the scroll."

The man bit his lip and ran his finger down his left arm. Along his arm was a black tattoo. Sakura would have admired it if it were on any other person. It was obviously some type of jutsu; if he was using blood, then she assumed it was a summoning jutsu.

"Naruto," Sasuke said as they watched the male summon a large snake. "Please… take Sakura and run. I'll try to hold him off here long enough for you to get away."

"Shut up Sasuke," Naruto barked back. Sakura could feel the shift in Naruto-kun's chakra, and the malicious chakra was starting to leak forward. Sakura grabbed Sasuke's hand and pulled him back before he could say anything else.

This was the Kyuubi's chakra that was leaking out. After Naruto-kun had talked to them about what he was, Sakura had done some research and had found out more about the Kyuubi. There were nine tailed beasts, and the Kyuubi was the strongest tailed beast, and Sakura knew that if any of them could defeat the grass nin in front of them it would probably be Naruto.

Naruto leaped toward where the ninja stood atop a very large snake. The snake batted Naruto away like a horse batting away a fly.

"Go ahead," the male said with a grin. "Eat him."

"Naruto!" Sakura found herself acting as she launched herself at Naruto's free falling body. Gripping his shoulders tightly, Sakura flipped them in the opposite direction of the snake's head that was headed toward them. Sakura felt Naruto's hand tighten on her shoulder, and she looked into his eyes to see them no longer blue, but crimson.

"Stay behind me Sakura-Chan," Naruto's voice was much deeper, and the chakra that was leaking out of him was dark. She could see the grass nin was surprised at the chakra. Doing a few hand signs, the grass nin shot a cloud of smoke toward them. Sakura was quick to leap away, as was Naruto.

"You're turn, Sasuke-kun!" The male shrieked as he sent the snake toward Sasuke. Sakura knew she wouldn't be quick enough even without her weights, but she dropped her weights anyways and leaped toward the man on the snake.

His attention was directed at Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun at the moment… she was hoping she'd be able to surprise him. Gripping her dagger, Sakura concealed her chakra completely before jumping off of the branch and toward the shinobi.

All she needed to get was one good scratch, and the man would be incapacitated. Focusing on the man on the snake, Sakura swung her dagger out as she passed over his right shoulder. Feeling her dagger impact with something, Sakura allowed a smirk to grace her features. Flying through the air, Sakura felt a glare turned to her. Her eyes widened as she watched the large snake's tail fly towards her and flick her into a tree.

"Gah," Sakura said as she coughed up a bit of blood. She could feel her ribs and back ache, but she didn't think anything was broken. She would be running on adrenaline for a little while, and she knew that it would hurt a lot worse once her attention was no longer focused on the grass ninja.

"That poison," the man's eyes were wide as he looked to Sakura. Sakura slowly slid down the tree until she fell onto a branch; her knees were the only thing supporting her up. "What kind of poison did you use, girl?"

She felt her insides tighten as the man's interest was directed toward her. She would rather have it on her than Naruto-kun, or Sasuke-kun. Struggling to stand, Sakura watched as the man's tongue ran over the small cut she gave him. It was a mere scratch, but she was hopeful it would be enough to make him lose coordination and ultimately lose consciousness.

Sakura's hope was crushed when she felt a snake like body wrap around her. Squeezing her slowly, Sakura let out a gasp when the pain in her ribs and back flared up.

"I am immune to this poison," the man said with a lick of his lips as he looked into Sakura' s eyes. "Which is sad for you… the reason I am immune is because I was the one to develop the plant this poison was made from. Now tell me: where did you get this poison?"

"She got it from her parents!" Sasuke yelled as he and Naruto tried to fight off the huge snake. At the moment, Sakura could feel Naruto's chakra sky-rocketing. It seemed Naruto could tap into the Kyuubi's chakra when emotional stress was induced… she was assuming now was a good example of that.

"Parentssss," the man hissed as his grip tightened. "I assume you're a Haruno then… I told those bastards to kill your parents and then take the evidence with them… I'll have to talk to the siblings about this later."

"LET HER GO," Naruto roared as he slammed two kunai into the large snake. The snake hissed in pain and poofed out of existence. "Come on Sasuke-teme! For Sakura-Chan!"

Fifty Naruto's and ten Sasuke's came into Sakura's view as her world slowly began to dim. The man in front of her was definitely squeezing too tightly. It felt like the life was being squeezed right out of her.

All of the Sasuke's and Naruto's had kunai, windmill shuriken, and shuriken's in their arms. Sakura felt the grass ninja let her go as he dodged the weapons that had been sent his way. Sakura took a deep gasp of air as she fell to the tree branch. Immediately, the real Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun appeared at her sides.

"Sakura-Chan?" Naruto questioned with a grunt and a growl. She nodded her head weakly to signal she was okay physically…

The man before them had hired someone to kill her parents! Her parents hadn't randomly died for no reason… they were murdered. Sakura felt tears fall from her eyes as Naruto and Sasuke both lifted up one of her arms and started carrying her in the opposite direction of the grass nin.

"We need to put distance between us," Sasuke-kun said as his sharingan was blaring in his eyes. Sakura felt a flicker of chakra behind them, and a flash of fire filled the trees.

"What?"

"Our clones," Sasuke-kun said as he and Naruto quickly dropped their weights to increase their speed.

"The Teme did his fireball jutsu thing," Naruto-kun said as the group kept running. "I don't think he's notice it's not us yet…"

"Noticed what's not you yet Naruto-kun?" The male voice of the grass nin said as he appeared before the three. They all immediately stopped and started back peddling. They knew the fire jutsu had connected, because half of the man's face had been burned off.

Sakura cringed when she noticed that another face appeared to be under the burnt skin; it was just like a snake sheading its skin. "Who are you?" Sakura questioned after finding her voice.

"Orochimaru," the man said with a grin as he licked his lips. "Our time is drawing short… I feel anbu on their way. Now, hold still while I leave you a goodbye present, Sasuke-kun."

Sakura watched as the man's neck began to elongate, and Sakura knew Sasuke could do nothing to stop the attack that was headed his way. Thinking quickly, Sakura grabbed her dagger before placing it in a protective position next to Sasuke's neck; she had seen Orochimaru's eyes scan his neck in want before his neck had elongated.

Orochimaru's teeth snapped shut on top of her dagger causing the dagger to shatter. Sakura dropped the hilt of the dagger, and pulled her teammates to the ground before Orochimaru could recover.

"We need to outlast him," Sakura said quietly as the group tried to pick up their pace. "He said anbu was almost here."

Sasuke and Naruto both nodded their agreement, and Naruto's pace increased drastically. All three of them had noticed that Orochimaru had tried to do something weird to Sasuke… They refused to let that happen to their teammate.

Jumping into a clearing, the team caught their breath as they felt Orochimaru pause in his pursuit.

"Damn it," the group of three heard Orochimaru swear. Sakura could feel strong chakra signature's only a mile or so away from their location. The members of anbu weren't trying to conceal themselves as they raced toward Orochimaru and their location; they wanted Orochimaru to know they were coming. "This won't be the last time you see me, Sasuke-kun, Naruto-kun… Sakura-Chan."

And with that, Orochimaru disappeared almost as quickly as he had come. Sakura allowed her weight to drop as the adrenaline that had been pumping through her body completely left her system.

Her boys were safe… That was all she could ask for at this moment.

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><p>And that's it, for now… What did you guys think? Did you like it? Did you hate it? Who do you think the siblings are that Orochimaru referred to? And how did you feel when I didn't give Sasuke a curse mark?<p> 


	17. The Chuunin Exams Part 2c

And another update is here! : ) I kind of love writing this story, if you couldn't tell. I am so excited you were all so responsive to the last chapter : ) I was a little nervous … I wasn't sure if you were going to be mad at me for changing the things I did. I'm just glad that you're all still super supportive! AND YAY NO CURSE MARK!

This shout out goes out to TangoDeltaBravo for your supportive review : ) I love when you guys make me think about things and state your own opinions! I've actually started to write down everyone's suggestions on this story in a notebook, so I love when you guys give me new ideas or new things to think about : ) (Thank my friend Art of Harmony, or Art-Chan for that idea!)

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

The Chuunin Exams Part 2c

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><p>"Is that everything?" Anko asked as she stood in front of team seven with a notebook. The anbu operatives she had arrived with were scanning the area and had tried to find a trace of Orochimaru's chakra, or a trail that he had left; they hadn't been successful yet. Anko had been making notes in the notebook since the interview had begun, which had started an hour or so ago.<p>

Nodding, Anko sent team seven a look of disbelief before she shook her head. "I'm just glad we were able to make it in time."

"Me too," Sakura replied with a nod as she kept a hand around her middle. "I don't think he would have left if you hadn't been coming."

"Alright kids," Anko said with a grin as she put her notebook back in her trench coat. "I'm pretty sure you still have a scroll to get before you can head to the tower… don't disappoint me by not getting one. After staying alive against a Sanin for as long as you guys did I want to see your strength with my own eyes."

With that said, Anko whistled loudly drawing the attention of the other anbu members. All six black anbu members flocked to her sides before they began to race back the way they had come.

Sakura felt a sense of relief when she watched the anbu members and Anko race away. If they hadn't found anything on Orochimaru, it was obvious he wasn't around at the moment. Sakura's grip on her ribs tightened slightly. Her ribs and back still ached, and Sakura knew she would have to take some of the home remedy pain killer she had made yesterday.

Biting her lip, Sakura's hands dug through her pocket, only to brush against the heaven scroll in her possession. "I never did give it to her," Sakura said as she looked to both teammates. "I mean him…"

The group of three had been quiet in each other's presence since anbu had arrived. Sakura thought it was because they all couldn't believe they had survived. Orochimaru was a Sanin… he was one of the strongest shinobi in the whole world.

"I'm sorry Sakura-Chan," Naruto said while grabbing her into a tight hug. Sakura sucked in a deep breath as his arms wrapped too tightly along her body. Why was he sorry?

"She's still hurt, Dobe," Sasuke said with a frown as he cuffed the back of Naruto's head.

"Sorry Sakura-Chan," Naruto said as he let her go. The blond had unshed tears in his eyes. "I just… I can't believe he was the cause of your parents…"

"I can't either," Sakura said quietly as she bit her lip again. Her bottom lip was raw from the attention she had been giving it, but Sakura found that she couldn't care at the moment. Focusing on the pain on her lip stopped her from feeling the pain of the truth… she could worry about what had happened after they got to the tower. "He said something about the 'siblings'… I wonder what he was talking about."

"We'll find out together," Sasuke spoke as his hand gripped hers tightly. Sakura sent a watery smile toward Sasuke, before squeezing his hand back.

"Thanks, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said.

"Let's get another scroll so we can get to the tower and let you rest, Sakura-Chan!"

Xxx The Chuunin Exams Part 2 c xxX

It was night time, and the group had decided to find a spot to rest and recover. They hadn't encountered another group of shinobi at any point in their travel. Sakura had been good about steering them clear of other teams as the group had slowly traveled toward the tower.

Sakura's ribs and back were still in pain even after she had taken the herbal remedy she had made. She was hoping there would be some type of medical treatment when the group arrived at the tower, because she wouldn't be able to fight a lot with the pain she was experiencing.

She had somehow convinced the boys to let her stand watch after they had placed traps and genjutsu outside of the tree roots they found to be kind of protective. Of course, they had given her the first watch, which meant she would be one of the ones getting the best rest. Sakura knew they wouldn't be completely safe until they arrived at the tower.

She had a feeling they were being watched again. Closing her eyes, Sakura felt three chakra signatures trying to conceal themselves a few yards away. Nodding, Sakura quietly touched Sasuke-kun's shoulder.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura said as quietly as she could. Sasuke-kun's eyes opened quickly, and his hand immediately went to his shoulder to grab Sakura's hand.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked while he stayed down.

"I sense a team a hiding behind the bushes," Sakura said with a casual nod in that direction. Sasuke turned his head slightly before poking Naruto.

"Come on Dobe," Sasuke said with a sigh once Naruto continued to snore on. "There's a team… "

Sakura and Sasuke both looked surprised at the fact Naruto was still sleeping. "Dobe…" Sasuke said as he tried to poke Naruto's stomach harder.

"You'll never become Hokage if you don't wake up now," Sakura said smartly in his ear. Naruto's body jerked upward, but Sakura held him down while she smiled smugly at Sasuke. "You have to say something about him not being Hokage, or there being no ramen left in the world."

"Don't say that Sakura-Chan!" Naruto said with a pout. "Why did you guys wake me up again?"

"There's a team a little distance away from us," Sasuke said as he casually as Sakura motioned nonchalantly toward where the ninja were hidden. "I think they're planning on surrounding us before attacking."

"I don't think they've noticed we've noticed them yet," Sakura said as she noticed their chakra signatures had not moved yet. "I actually don't think they realized you're awake… Should we be the ones to surround them?"

"… How are your ribs?" Sasuke asked while his eyes shone with concern. "Naruto and I can always handle this if you're not-"

"They're fine," Sakura said quickly. They hurt, but there was no way she was not going to be a part of this team. There were three chakra signatures, and Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun were only two people. They would be at a serious disadvantage if she did nothing.

"If you're sure," Sasuke said even though he looked skeptical. She knew he only asked because she was injured; the day before they had worked perfectly together to disable the rain ninja and she had proven herself when they had fought against Orochimaru. It was obvious the two were slowly beginning to trust her strength.

"How should we do this?" Naruto asked as he grinned. Sakura could tell Naruto was itching for a good fight.

"I think you guys should make clones of yourself and have them pretend to be sleeping," Sakura said as her mind began to whirl. "I can somehow attack them from the front, and you guys can surprise them from behind. I'm sure they won't find me very threatening-looking."

"Huh," Naruto said as he put a hand to his chin. "That sounds like a good strategy to me."

"I'll lay a few more of the genjutsu just to make sure," Sasuke said as his hands began to move. Sasuke had been learned a few genjutsu from Kakashi-sensei while she had been tutoring Naruto. Sakura found that she couldn't feel jealous; ninjutsu and genjutsu were just going to be easier for Sasuke-kun to learn because of his sharingan. There was nothing she could do about it. "Dismiss them after we've gone."

Nodding to him, Sakura watched as Sasuke laid down a few genjutsu before he and Naruto made a shadow clone each. The shadow clones lay back down as if they were sleeping, and the boys slipped out the back way through the branches.

Putting her hands together, Sakura murmured, "Release," as she released the genjutsu Sasuke had just lay. She wanted the shinobi to think that her chakra was fading and she was getting tired. Many shinobi released genjutsu when they got too tired to handle it.

Sakura's eyes widened when a squirrel began to race toward one of the traps she and Sasuke had set earlier. Throwing a kunai to stop the squirrel just before it hit the trap, Sakura's eyes widened: was that an explosive tag on the poor animal?

Sakura quickly stepped out from under the roots of the tree before racing over to the scared animal. Grabbing a kunai, Sakura ripped the explosive tag off before putting it on her kunai and flinging it to where the three shinobi were hiding.

"Who knew you'd be observant," a voice called as three figures appeared in front of her. "When you look like you're so tired."

"It's no longer necessary to stay awake," it was the Sound ninja that had attacked Kabuto back in the first part of the exams. Sakura frowned… she hoped Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun would finish circling these three quickly. "Wake up Sasuke-kun . We want to fight him."

"Good thing I'm already awake," Sasuke-kun said as he appeared behind the group while doing a few hand signs. A fire ball jutsu flew out of his mouth, and Sakura quickly grabbed a few more kunai and stood ready.

Naruto appeared a moment later, twenty clones following behind him closely. "And don't forget about me!" All twenty-one of the Narutos yelled as they threw kunai at the three fleeing from Sasuke's jutsu.

Sakura watched as the female of the group's eyes widened. "Orochimaru-sama said he would be incapacitated, Dosu," she said quickly while looking to the mummy looking shinobi.

"Your Orochimaru-sama fled from battle," Sakura said with a glare as felt something snap inside of her. She eyed the three closely, were they siblings? Were these the three that had killed her parents?

"We can't let this girl go," the other guy on the team said as he smirked. "I'm going to kill her Dosu."

"Zaku," Dosu said with a frown. "We're not-"

"Like hell I'd let you kill Sakura-Chan!" Naruto said with a yowl as he appeared in front of the blue haired shinobi; his name must have been Zaku.

Naruto obviously wasn't thinking straight, and Sakura could tell when she caught sight of his red eyes. She watched as Dosu and the female ninja jumped toward her, probably to get away from Zaku and Naruto's fight that had just started.

The duo tripped a wire, and Sakura watched in satisfaction as the large log trap she had put up began to fall toward them.

"This is nothing," Dosu said as he placed a palm on the log, and brought his other hand into a tiger seal next to his face. Within moments, the log burst into pieces, and Sakura was left wondering what type of jutsu he was using.

She had seen air come out of the holes on the metal part of his arm; was he using a type of wind jutsu?

"You obviously have no talen-"

Sasuke slashed toward Dosu with his katana. Dosu dodged and rolled out of the way as Sasuke flung kunai toward him with the hand his katana wasn't using.

Sakura focused on the last of the Sound team. The girl still looked a little shaken, but she stood tall as she grabbed a few senbon.

"We'll see if you're as good as your teammates," the girl said as she threw three senbon at Sakura. Sakura was able to dodge the senbon with some ease. She was surprised to hear bells attached to the end of the senbon.

Why is she telling me where she is attacking? Sakura wondered before Sasuke's groan reached her. Sakura turned quickly to find Sasuke-kun clutching his left ear; his body was lying on the ground and his katana was a few feet in front of him.

"Of course," Dosu said smugly. "Even an Uchiha can't dodge my attacks… I use sound to attack, so even if you move quickly my attack will always reach you."

"You use vibrations to attack the ear drum, focusing your attack on the inner ear membrane," Sakura said in awe as she heard two bells being thrown at her. Sasuke-kun's balance would be off for a while, Sakura thought in concern. Dodging the belled senbon quickly, Sakura was surprised when a senbon connected with her right shoulder. Hadn't there been bells… "And you use bells to lull your opponent into a false sense of security."

Sakura ignored her opponent for a moment as she sent many shuriken toward Dosu, who had been walking too close to Sasuke-kun for her liking. Zaku appeared in front of the shuriken before they connected with an unseeing Dosu, and blasted them backward with a jutsu of his own.

"Air pressure," Sakura gritted her teeth as she dodged the shuriken she had thrown. Feeling the female sound ninja try to sneak up behind her, Sakura dropped low and kicked out her legs from under her. Following that up with a punch to the girl's temple, Sakura was surprised the attack had connected; she was sure Lee-senpai would have been proud with her show of taijutsu 'youth'.

Turning her head toward where Naruto had tackled Dosu to the ground, Sakura watched as Zaku held his palm to the back of Sasuke-kun's head… The air pressure that deflected her attack earlier had been shot out of the metal arm holes in his hands, Sakura realized. Sasuke had no way of dodging; she could see the blood coming out of his ear, and knew that his coordination and balance would be off for a few hours in the least. Judging the distance between her and Sasuke-kun, she knew she wouldn't be able to make it to him in time to stop the jutsu.

"Shit," Sakura said with a frown as she tried to think of her options. She wasn't fast enough to get there if she ran, and she knew that Zaku would just send whatever projectile weapon she threw at him back at her. Think Sakura! Think… Sakura's eyes widened when she remembered something she and Kakashi-sensei had tried to do at the beginning of her training. She had never been successful with her attempt to complete the jutsu, but Sakura brought her hands together and concentrated anyways. It was the only thing she could think of.

Sasuke-kun's chakra flow was calm and flowed much like a steady stream. Imaging herself switching places with the steady stream of chakra, Sakura felt her body begin to shift away from her currently location.

In a moment, Sasuke-kun was no longer on the ground in front of Zaku; she was. Sakura didn't have enough time to grab a kunai, so she opted for her fist. Bringing her fist upward, she watched Zaku dodge backwards and leap away from her.

Grabbing a kunai, Sakura threw it toward Zaku and raced toward him.

"I don't know how you did that!" Zaku accused with a yell. "But I'm going to blow you away anyways!"

Sakura's hand moved quickly, and she replaced herself with a log before attacking Zaku from behind. She knew that if she could get a kunai to connect she would be able to disable Zaku.

Sending a few shuriken toward Zaku, Sakura frowned when she felt her kunai pouch getting low. She hoped she had enough to last her through the end of this part of the exams…

Sakura's hands flew through another substitution jutsu, and she heard Zaku's taunt.

"You're so weak to keep using that jutsu!" Zaku snarled. "Is that all you know?"

Sakura appeared above him, and she threw two kunai this time. Keeping a kunai in her hand, Sakura crossed her arms over herself to try to protect herself as much as possible.

Zaku sent the kunai back toward her before quickly looking for her new location… but she hadn't done a replacement this time. Sakura gritted her teeth as her kunai connected with her forearm and her side; she winced remembering her bruised ribs.

Sakura's body fell quickly, but she noticed the precise moment Zaku had noticed she had not done another substitution; it was the second before she dug the kunai in her hand hard into his left shoulder.

His grunt of pain was satisfaction enough, even though his fist connected with her head in retaliation. Sakura rolled off of him, and her eyes were seeing stars. As she tried to scramble upward, she noticed Zaku was quicker to recover than she was.

Zaku's uninjured arm was aimed towards her while the one she had imbedded a kunai into was dangling at his side. His expression was that of pure hatred and anger, and Sakura knew that he was going to attack her.

Closing her eyes to brace for impact, Sakura just hoped Naruto-kun would be able to protect Sasuke-kun when she herself couldn't...

"Why can't I-" Sakura heard Zaku say before her eyes opened.

Sakura noticed that Zaku was no longer in the position he had been when she had first closed her eyes. Scanning the area, Sakura's eyes widened finding Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji standing in the clearing. Choji and Ino were both protecting Sasuke with kunai as Shikamaru stood only a few feet away from she and Zaku.

Now that she thought about it, Zaku and Shikamaru were both in the same position. Shikamaru's hands were held together in the rat seal. The look on Shikamaru's face was one of silent anger, and Sakura was more than happy (and a little confused) to see her friend.

"You're stuck in my technique," Shikamaru said as his eyes darted to Sakura. Sakura could feel her cheeks redden slightly as Shikamaru's eyes scanned her whole body. "Are you okay Sakura-Chan?"

"Shikamaru," Sakura breathed a sigh of relief as she slowly started to get to her feet. "I'm glad you're here."

"Are you okay?" Shikamaru asked again as he frowned. "It would be… troublesome if you got hurt."

"Just troublesome!" Ino accused with a yell and a shake of her fist as she glared toward him. "You dragged us into this clearing when you saw she was about to get hurt! Don't just say it's troublesome, you idiot! And what the hell is up with calling her Sakura-Chan, huh? You don't call me Ino-Chan!"

Sakura's cheeks blushed even more, but she ignored it in favor of turning to where Naruto-kun had gone. The fox's chakra had increased his speed and strength, and he currently had Dosu pinned underneath fifty Naruto clones. The real Naruto started to walk over to her.

"Sakura-Chan," Naruto frowned when he saw her. Sakura was sure the punch Zaku had sent her was beginning to bruise, because she could feel her cheek starting to swell. It probably didn't help her any that the two kunai that had grazed her arm and side were causing her to lose coordination; she probably looked pretty awful at the moment.

Falling to her knees, Sakura started to fumble with her pack. Grabbing the white antidote, Sakura tried to unscrew the cap before two tanned hands helped her. Looking up, Sakura thanked Shikamaru with a blush before she drank some of the liquid quickly.

It was when she and Shikamaru had heard a crack and a groan that she turned back to her blond teammate. He currently stood behind Zaku, his 'good' arm had been pulled behind his back at a weird angle…

"How dare you hurt Sakura-Chan," Naruto growled as he pulled Zaku's right arm up higher. Zaku let out another groan.

"Naruto-kun!" Sakura yelled as she quickly raced toward him, tripping slightly as she went. She knew this wasn't completely Naruto at the moment; his chakra was an erratic mess, and she assumed this act of violence was the Kyuubi's doing.

Sakura wrapped her arms around Naruto's torso, which caused Naruto to drop Zaku, flinging him in the direction of where Dosu was pilled under Naruto's clones. As her arms wrapped around Naruto tighter, she felt his chakra begin to recede back into his body. The clones that had been holding Dosu down dispersed, and the mummy-looking shinobi looked at team seven and team ten in horror.

"You're teams are too strong," Dosu said while shouldering Zaku's weight onto his shoulder. Setting an earth scroll down on the ground, Dosu started backing a way. "Here is a gift to you… please let us leave."

Sakura's eyes widened as Dosu quickly grabbed up the female member of their team and fled. Finding much of the strength leave her body, Sakura started to stumble only to be caught by Shikamaru.

"You never did respond to me if you were okay or not," Shikamaru said with a frown as he started to lead her over to the earth scroll. She eyed the scroll with interest before looking to Shikamaru in question. "We already have both scrolls… we found two shinobi a few miles away who hadn't been very strong… we were actually headed toward the tower when I felt your chakra."

"Thanks, Shikamaru," Sakura said smiling in gratitude. Sakura let Shikamaru bend down to grab the scroll before she turned quickly to check the status of her teammates.

Sasuke was slowly starting to sit up with the aid of Ino; the blood that had been flowing out of his ear was slowly decreasing as time went on… She would have to check on that when she could actually function well enough to move, but she assumed it was doing better.

Motioning over to her blond teammate, Shikamaru supported her weight as they walked over to Naruto. Naruto was currently crouching on the ground, his hands were over his ears and he was shaking.

"Naruto-kun…" Sakura said while placing a hand onto his shoulder. She had no idea what he was experiencing right now. "Naruto-kun… You protected me and Sasuke-kun."

"You still got hurt Sakura-Chan," Naruto said. She could hear that he was on the brink of tears. "So did Sasuke…"

"We're ninja, Dobe," Sasuke's voice carried weakly over the clearing. "Of course we're going to get hurt. You protected us when I couldn't, Naruto… I… appreciate it."

Sakura watched as Naruto's tear covered eyes turned to her and Sasuke; the three were ignoring team ten at the moment.

"And… crying is for pansies Dobe," Sasuke said with a smirk as he took a step away from Ino's support. Sakura and Shikamaru both smiled at Naruto's response.

"Shut the hell up Teme!" Naruto yelled as he wiped the tears away. "I'm no pansy!"

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><p>So comments or suggestions? Do you guys like the development that is happening in the story so far? I'm a little concerned I made Sasuke too weak in this chapter, but then again, Dosu's jutsu disabled Lee in the canon. What do you guys think?<p> 


	18. The Chuunin Exams Part 2d

I think I'm in love with Shikamaru… too bad he isn't a real person : / I feel like when I add things to these characters I get unrealistic expectations…. I took a vacation day today, so we'll see if I can update more than once!

This chapter is dedicated to three wonderful reviewers: Meowiadi, lobo2430, and Fuchslady! Thank you all so much for your reviews and support!

Plus, if anyone is looking for a good MinatoXSakura story to read, please check out Whisper of the Wind written by UNCPanda. It is completely different than other MinatoXSakura fic I have read, and I like it : )

The Chuunin Exams Part 2d

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><p>Sakura stuck close to Shikamaru as the group of six headed toward the tower. She had never seen him so concerned or angry before… It made her blush slightly just thinking about it.<p>

"You know you never answered my question," Ino commented as she ran beside Sasuke-kun. "Why do you call Forehead Sakura-Chan?"

"Huh," Naruto said as he turned his head away from Choji. Choji had been teasing Naruto with a bag of chips, and Naruto had been desperately trying to grab one. Choji was rather protective with his chips, and had been denying Naruto since the begging had started. "Yeah… Why do you call Sakura-Chan Sakura-Chan?"

Sakura turned to Shikamaru too, because she was just as curious as the rest of the group. She had assumed it had been a slip of the tongue at first, but he had continued to use the same endearment ever since he had first started it.

"Stop being noisy troublesome woman," Shikamaru said as the tips of his ears turned pink and he ignored Ino's question. Shikamaru had his hands pressed into his pockets, and he turned away from the group.

Sakura couldn't help herself as she bumped her shoulder against his, causing him to look at her with questioning eyes. "I like it you know," Sakura said with a small smile as she shrugged. "I like that you call me Sakura-Chan, Shikamaru-kun."

The kun endearment rolled off her tongue easily, and when she saw Shikamaru's reaction she knew that she wanted to continue to use it. The top of the genius's cheeks glowed red, and he took in a deep breath. Sakura felt her own cheeks dust red before turning away.

These interactions she was having with Shikamaru-kun had been increasing in their ability to make her blush. She didn't even think she blushed this much around Sasuke-kun anymore… that idea in itself caused her cheeks to redden more.

"Sakura," Sakura heard the warning in Sasuke's tone, and she immediately closed her eyes to sense for a different person's chakra. Sasuke had always had the ability to know when someone was watching them, and it had nothing to do with chakra. It must have been a keen Uchiha sense of being stared at or something.

Pinpointing a chakra signature that was mostly concealed, Sakura nodded in the direction of the forest. She recognized the chakra, and for some reason it put her on edge. What was he doing here? "It's Kabuto-san…"

"I didn't know you'd be able to sense me that easily Sakura-Chan," Kabuto said as he rubbed the back of his head while coming out of the bushes. "I see that I didn't have your nin card completely up to date… I'll be sure to change that when we finish this part of the exams."

She felt Shikamaru stiffen slightly to the right of her, and she locked eyes with him. There was a glint in Shikamaru's brown eyes that made her believe he didn't trust Kabuto; if he didn't trust him then she wouldn't either.

"Where is your team Kabuto?" Naruto asked while being friendly. Of course the blond would trust him completely… that was one of Naruto's special talents: his ability to trust anyone in any situation.

"They're meeting me back at the tower," Kabuto said with a smile. "We had already got our scrolls, but I had to do something before I could report to the tower. I felt you guys coming, so I figured I'd wait for you and we could go to the tower together."

"No thanks," Shikamaru said tersely, and Sakura watched as Kabuto's eyes shifted over to Shikamaru. For some reason Kabuto's eyes were weary…

"Come on Shikamaru!" Naruto said as he walked over to Kabuto and patted him on the shoulder. "He's a fellow Leaf Shinobi! We should all head to the tower together."

"It would be nice to rest with the three days that we have left," Sakura said as she shifted her weight from her left foot to her right. Her ribs were aching again, and she wanted to rest without the constant anxiety of feeling someone was going to attack her back. "The tower is only a mile or so away… I'm sure we can all get there together without too much of a fuss."

Whatever weariness Kabuto had been experiencing had been quickly masked when he sent a smile toward Sakura. "Thanks Sakura-Chan," Kabuto said with a nod as he turned and started to lead the way to the tower.

Sakura felt Shikamaru and Sasuke's looks before she shrugged and followed after Kabuto. Kabuto was weird, and he made her feel uncomfortable, but she didn't want him knowing he made her uncomfortable. She'd talk to the two about it later.

As Sakura raced toward the tower, she tried to distract herself. Turning to Shikamaru, Sakura smiled. "I didn't think you guys would have gotten another scroll so quickly... not that I don't' have faith in your abilities… I was just assuming it would be too troublesome for you."

"Ino stumbled into two rain shinobi that were looking for their third teammate," Shikamaru mumbled with a smirk while throwing an accusing look toward his female teammate.

"Literally," Choji added with a grin as he took another bite of his potato chips. Sakura had to shake her head as she noticed Naruto giving Choji a puppy dog look; she knew that look wouldn't work.

"Well it's not my fault they weren't looking where they were going," Ino said casually as she flipped her hair back over her shoulder.

"Rain ninja you say?" Sasuke questioned with a tilt of his head. His balance was still off, but Sakura could tell having Ino run next to him was helping him focus on where to step next. Slowly he was compensating for this ear; she'd make sure she'd make him some medicine for it when they got to the tower.

"Yeah," Shikamaru drawled. "They were wearing weird masks and had jumpsuits on."

"We know where their third teammate is, don't we guys?" Sakura asked with a grin as she sent Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun a knowing look.

"Of course, Sakura-Chan!" Naruto responded with a grin. "We kicked his ass!"

"If I remember correctly," Sasuke said with a smirk. "You were tied up before the battle even began."

"Come on Teme!" Naruto yelled out with a groan. "You know I could have taken him if he hadn't have snuck up on me."

"Sure thing Dobe," Sasuke said as he shook his head.

"Come on," Naruto said throwing pleading eyes toward Sakura. "You believe in me, don't you Sakura-Chan?"

Her laughter was enough to make his pout worsen. "Come on Sakura-Chan!"

Xxx The Chuunin Exams part 2 d xxX

The group of seven had arrived at the tower only moments ago. Kabuto had said goodbye and thank you to them, and now it was just team seven and team ten.

"I'll be seeing you inside the tower I guess then," Sakura said as she saw both Naruto and Sasuke heading to the door they had been assigned to enter; 12 was labeled above the door. Ignoring the nervous butterflies that were fluttering around in stomach, Sakura reached up and wrapped her arms around Shikamaru's shoulders. "Thank you, Shikamaru-kun."

Sakura felt arms wrap around her waist in a gentle hug; of course Shikamaru would remember that she was still hurt. "Just try not to get hurt again, Sakura-Chan," Shikamaru said as his hold on her tightened a little. It was a firm hold, but didn't hurt her.

Letting her arms drop, Sakura smiled ignoring the blush that stained both their cheeks and headed toward her teammates.

Finding Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun waiting for her at their assigned door, Sakura also chose to ignore the questioning looks her two teammates were sending her.

"Come on boys," Sakura said with a shake of her head as she cast one last look toward team ten. Shikamaru's eyes were following her into the room, and Sakura knew he was making sure she got there safe before he left with his own team.

"Hn," Sasuke-kun spoke as he closed the door behind them. His eyes were still on Sakura, and he ignored the room the three were in. "What was that, Sakura?"

"Or should we say 'Sakura-Chan'" Naruto added with a grin as he bumped his shoulder with Sasuke.

"You already call me Sakura-Chan," Sakura said as she tried to ignore the blond's teasing. "So you wouldn't be calling me anything different."

"Yeah," Sasuke said with a nod as he crossed his arms. "But when did Nara start to?"

"Does it really matter?" Sakura questioned as she felt her cheeks grow hot again. The two were acting like protective older brothers…

"I think it does," Naruto said with a nod as he looked to Sasuke. "Shikamaru's too lazy for you."

"We don't approve," Sasuke added with a stern look.

Sakura's cheeks grew to be an unhealthy color of red. "Please drop this…" Sakura said as she tried to distract herself with something, _anything._

The room they were in was very basic and white. The only thing on the wall was a lengthy saying. She believed there were words missing…'Heaven' and 'Earth' should have been used throughout the saying.

"Look at the scroll on the wall," Sakura said with a nod.

"You're not going to distract us that eas-"

"It has to do with the exam, Dobe," Sasuke said with a shake of his head as his eyes scanned the scroll. "We'll talk to Sakura about this later…Should we open the scrolls together then?"

"It's hard to say," Sakura said with a shrug as she reread the parchment.

"But didn't Anko say not to open the scrolls?" Naruto asked with a look of confusion on his face.

"Yes," Sakura said as she brought a finger up to her chin. "But the scroll says something about two things working in perfect harmony like a ninja would… that could be heaven and earth or 'body' and 'soul'… I feel like I read this once before. It's what it takes to be a chuunin and was written by the Hokage.

"Anko said we couldn't open one scroll," Sakura added smartly. "Not that we couldn't open both scrolls together."

"So we should do it at the same time then?" Naruto asked as he still looked slightly confused.

"I think so," Sakura said while fishing out both the heaven and earth scrolls from her pouch. She was surprised that the heaven scroll in front of her was still the same one they had been given at the beginning of the exams. There had been so many other teams that had wanted to take the scroll from them, but their team had remained resilient. "Maybe you and Naruto should do it, Sasuke-kun."

"Hn," Sasuke agreed as he grabbed the earth scroll. Naruto was quick to grab the heaven scroll, and just as Naruto was about to open it, Sakura put her hand on top of his.

"At the same time, Naruto-kun," Sakura said as she motioned to the other scroll in Sasuke's possession. "The larger scroll says there has to be a perfect balance of the two to be the ultimate. I would assume that means at the same time."

"Get a kunai ready just in case we're wrong," Sasuke said as he and Naruto both began to unravel the scrolls. Sakura followed his instruction quickly, and threw the kunai just as a cloud of smoke appeared. A summoning jutsu? Maybe this hadn't been the right answer…

"There are my cute little students," Kakashi-sensei said with a grin as he twirled the kunai Sakura had thrown at him in his hand. The grin left his face when he scanned each of his students, before they landed on Sakura's haphazard appearance. "What happened?"

"There was a guy named Orochimaru and he-"

"Are any of you hurt?" Kakashi asked quickly as his lone gray eye widened. "Did he leave anything on you, or do anything to you?"

"He tried," Sakura said with a shrug as her arm went to her ribs. "I think my ribs are bruised, but other than that we were left pretty unscathed from battle. The battle against the Sound genin team didn't end so well though…"

"One of them blew my eardrum," Sasuke said with a glare as he crossed his arms. Sasuke's pride was still taking a toll from that one… she was sure that the next time he and Dosu met, Sasuke would be the victor.

"And that was after we were attacked by a rain ninja and a giant snake," Naruto listed as he tried to remember everything that had happened to them in the past two days.

"And you're still here with three days left," Kakashi said with pride glowing in his eye. "Now… tell me more about the battle with Orochimaru… did he bite any of you, say anything that was off, did it appear he was targeting one of you specifically?"

Both boys looked to Sakura, but she just looked to the floor. Team seven was safe now, and she could think about everything she had learned from the battle between them and Orochimaru.

Orochimaru had developed the altered cocaine in the field in Sound… Her parents must have stumbled upon the field, taken some of the cocaine back with them, and were murdered for it. Why had they taken the cocaine in the first place, she wondered?

"… He's the one who had my parents murdered," Sakura said with a small voice. Her mind was still racing and she knew she would have to run her theories by Shikamaru-kun when she had the chance. "But he wasn't after me. He had been after Sasuke-kun."

"That's right," Naruto said with a frown. "The bastard hadn't even looked at Sakura-Chan or I until Sakura hit him with the poison Shikamaru's dad had given her."

"Or until you used the Kyuubi's chakra," Sasuke said as he looked back at Naruto.

Kakashi sighed deeply before rubbing his forehead. "I have a feeling this isn't going to be going away… How were you guys able to get away?"

"Anko and some anbu came by at the right time," Sasuke said with a shrug. "She seemed determined to find him…"

"She used to be his student," Kakashi said with a frown. "Back when he was a part of Konoha. If he's interested in you Sasuke, it may be a good idea to have Anko train with you all when the exams are over… I have a feeling this won't be the last time team seven encounters Orochimaru."

"Hn," Sasuke said with a nod.

Sakura bit her lip again as her mind wandered. Had the three Sound shinobi she encountered been the ones to kill her parents? They didn't look alike, but they could have been siblings. Orochimaru hadn't revealed a lot, but a group of siblings had killed her parents; she was going to find out who the group was.

"I guess I should have said this at first," Kakashi said as he looked to the group. "You three pass the second part of the chuunin exams; congratulations.

"Now, I think I should go talk to the Hokage about what has happened," Kakashi said. "I'm sure Anko has already turned in her report, but I want to follow up with him. I'll be sure to stop by at the Nara compound and talk to Shikaku too."

"Thanks Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said with a small smile as she looked up.

"Go rest," Kakashi said nodding toward a door a few yards away. Once they had opened the scrolls together, the genjutsu that had been blocking the doorway had been opened. "That is the common area. You'll be given a room all three of you can sleep in, and there will be food provided. There will also be the other genin that have passed the exams so far… so be careful. No fighting is allowed in there though… and I'll see if we can get a medic in to see you two, Sasuke-kun and Sakura-Chan."

"Got it!" Naruto said with a salute as Kakashi disappeared with a poof of smoke. Sakura concentrated her chakra and was happy to note only a few other teams were there.

"Shikamaru-kun's team, Kabuto's team, the sand team, and our team so far," Sakura said as the group started to head toward the common area. She slowed her speed as she sensed other people in the area ahead of her too.

"Shikamaru-kun, huh?" Naruto asked with a knowing glance as Sakura decided to ignore him and wave at the person in front of her.

"Sakura-Chan," Kotetsu greeted her with a grin and a wave. Izumo's arms were crossed over his chest and he sighed at his friend's antics. "We'll show you to your team's room! It's right down this way."

"You were the third team to make it to the tower," Izumo listed as he walked with his hands in his pockets. "The first team arrived at the tower two hours after the exam began; there was one team who came before you, and one that came after you."

"What?" Sakura asked alarmed as she bit her lip. She knew that Shikamaru-kun's team and Kabuto's team had arrived with her team, so the only other team that was left… "The Sand genin."

"You're so smart Sakura-Chan," Kotetsu said with a grin. Scanning her appearance, the male frowned. "What happened to your dagger?"

"It shattered in the forest," Sakura said with as her hand brushed the spot her sheath used to be. She missed the extra weight the dagger had provided.

"That dagger was created using very strong materials," Kotetsu said as he threw a concerned look to Izumo before looking back at her. "It must have been something very strong to shatter it."

Sakura knew he was concerned, but she also knew Kotetsu was digging for information. She refused to be the one to give it to him however. Orochimaru was a Sanin, and she knew how important it was to keep some information classified. She had told Kakashi-sensei because he was her sensei.

"Yeah," Sakura said with a shrug as she continued to follow the two chuunin further down the hall. They had passed a room filled with couches, and were currently walking by the kitchen. Sakura could tell that the sand team was in the kitchen, and she slowed down her pace hoping to catch a glace of the three.

"Come on Gaara," Sakura heard Temari plead with the red head. The door to the kitchen was closed, but she could tell there was something going on in the kitchen. "Please let him go… Kankuro is your brother, Gaara."

"I've never considered you my siblings," Gaara's dark voice sent a chill down Sakura's back. Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara were siblings? They didn't even look alike.

"Gaara please!" The panic in Temari's voice had increased. Sakura looked to Izumo and Kotetsu who nodded to each other before bursting into the kitchen; both had a sword drawn.

"What's going on here?" Kotetsu asked as he raised his sword to Gaara even though it wasn't obvious he was the aggressor. Sakura and her team walked a little closer to the kitchen door to see what was going on.

Sakura's eyes widened. Kankuro was being kept in the air by sand, and it looked like the sand was squeezing the life out of him slowly. Sakura's body shivered; she knew the feeling of having your life squeezed out of you.

"He pissed me off," Gaara said with a low animalistic growl.

"Once you made it to the tower a decree of peace has been issued until the next part of the exams," Izumo said as he shook his kunai blade at the red head. The kunai blade was shaped like a regular kunai, but it was much longer in length; Kotetsu had a matching one he was using. "I don't care that he is part of your team… If you don't drop him I am going to disqualify you."

"Gaara!" Temari said to Gaara in a stern voice. "We can't-"

"I got it," Gaara snarled as the sand that had surrounded Kankuro began to disperse. The small particles of sand slowly began to flow back into the gourd Gaara carried on his back.

Sakura's eyes widened as the sand withdrew without even a hand sign from Gaara. He had to have amazing chakra control to be controlling the sand without hand signs.

"He's trouble," Sasuke muttered as the rest of team seven collectively agreed. Taking a step backward, Sakura noticed that Gaara's focus was no longer on Kankuro, or the chuunin… it had switched to her team

"Hn," Gaara said as a scary smirk appeared on his face. "If you're the next group that has come to the tower, then you should be the next strongest… I look forward to crushing all three of you."

Sakura didn't know how to respond as Kotetsu quickly left the kitchen and motioned for them to follow him down the hall. Team seven moved quickly, and Sakura shivered as she felt eyes on her the whole way.

Gaara Sabaku… she was going to have to ask Kakashi-sensei about him again. There was something completely off about him, and it wasn't just his scary aura. She'd have to do more research when she had time.

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><p>So what is your opinion of this chapter? There wasn't a lot of action, but I did change things a bit to fit the needs of my story. What did you guys think about me having Kakashi meet them at the tower instead of Iruka? And the preliminaries will be coming up soon (probably chapter 20). Do you guys think the match ups should stay the same as canon Naruto, or should I change it a bit? I take your feedback to heard, and I love it, so please let me know!<p> 


	19. The Smell Of Lavender Oil

Hello again : ) fancy seeing you all here… another update? I do think so. I hope you all know there will be a day when I won't be able to update a billion times in one week… until that happens, on with the show!

This chapter is dedicated to Toreh, Chrissygirl139, Chiasmus, and InnerCherry.

Chiasmus- these chapters are not written in advanced, but I understand how hard it is to update sometimes (I hadn't updated this story in two years before I went on this crazy update streak). Your guys' reviews are actually the thing that inspires me to update as quickly as I can.

InnerCherry- You're going to have to wait until future chapters to find out that one ; )

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

The Smell of Lavender Oil

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><p>Sakura was just finishing wrapping the bandages around her ribs when she felt a few more chakra signatures enter the tower. Lee-senpai's team had arrived, and so had Hinata-Chan's. She'd have to go and congratulate them when she was finished.<p>

Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun had given her sometime to wrap up her ribs, because it turned out a medic ninja was not allowed to see them. Sakura had already made Sasuke some medicine that would stop the ringing in his ear and Sasuke's balance had already been improving greatly. He hadn't gotten his hearing back completely yet, but Sakura was sure that after some rest he'd be better.

Sakura threw on her Uchiha vest, Sakura grinned at the softness of the fabric. She had said that she was going to give this vest back to Sasuke when she had finished using it, but she just couldn't bring herself to. The vest was easy to put on too, which had cemented her decision in wearing it at the moment.

Her ribs ached, and moving her arms above her shoulders had proved to be a problem. She hadn't been able to take her other shirt off without using a kunai… She just hoped resting her body would help her heal enough for the next part of the exams.

Leaving their room, Sakura started to walk to the common area where she felt a chakra signature she knew fairly well; she had wondered when he was going to arrive. She ignored her teammates' chakras which were in the kitchen at the moment. Sakura wondered if Naruto had found a pot to cook his ramen in…

"We were not the first team here, so I will do 500 pushups without stopping!" Sakura heard a familiar voice from around the corner. "If I cannot do these, then I will do 1000 sit ups!"

"You should probably rest up Lee-senpai," Sakura said with a grin as she walked into the common area. Lee's teammates were nowhere to be seen, but Sakura could feel them in a room several feet back the way she had come. "I have a feeling the next part of the exams is going to be even harder than these last two were."

"Sakura-Chan!" Lee jumped up immediately from his crouch on the ground and raced over to her. Sakura cringed slightly as he wrapped his arms around her middle and squeezed her tightly.

"Lee-senpai," Sakura said taking in a deep breath of air. "My ribs were bruised in the forest."

Lee's arms immediately dropped to his sides as her looked at Sakura in concern. "My beautiful flower was injured?" Lee asked. The male frowned as he scanned her body. "And you've taken off the weights. It must have been a rough battle for you indeed."

"I actually lost the weights," Sakura said as she tried to remember the exact moment she had taken them off. "I'm sorry Lee-senpai. I can replace them for you if you want."

"Non-sense," Lee said with an adamant shake of his head. "I always keep extra ones with me in a scroll in my pack. You never know when you might need them! Did you want me to give you another pair?"

"You wouldn't mind?" Sakura asked with a small smile. She had noticed a difference in her speed when she had taken off the weights. It was a minor change, but it was enough to give her confidence and make her want to continue to try to use them.

"Of course not!" Lee said enthusiastically. "Follow me back to my room and I will get them for you!"

Sakura followed Lee-senpai with a small smile. Lee always wanted to help anyone he could; Sakura found that admirable. Once she was stronger, Sakura wanted to help other people become stronger. It was her new goal at the moment… Become stronger so she could help others do the same thing.

"Did your team run into any trouble on the way here?" Sakura made conversation as the two came to Lee's door. Lee gave Sakura a thousand watt grin before shaking his head.

"No one gave Neji-kun a hard time," Lee said as the two entered their room. Neji was lying in the bed closest to the door; his eyes were closed, but Sakura noticed his eyes were furrowed in what seemed to be pain. Lee's other teammate Tenten sat on the bed next to Neji's. Tenten was sharpening a kunai at the moment; her bed was covered with so many weapons it made Sakura's eyes widen.

"Lee," Neji said shortly as he started to lean up in his bed. Seeing Sakura, Neji sent a glare to Lee. "You aren't supposed to bring other teams into our room. It could put our team endanger."

"I'm just getting Sakura-Chan some new weights," Lee said with a grin as he walked over to his bed. Grabbing a pack from below the bed, Lee pulled out a scroll before handing it to Sakura.

She wouldn't want to use the weights right now, but she'd probably start with them again tomorrow. Her body was still a little too achy to benefit from the weights right now.

"I'm grabbing some food," Tenten said as she stood from her position on the bed. "I'll bring you back an apple or something Neji."

"I'll come too, Tenten-Chan!" Lee said with a grin as he quickly followed her out of the room.

"Hn," Neji said quietly, and Sakura found it weird to be in a room alone with Neji. Had Lee-senpai actually forgotten she was there?

Walking back to the door, Sakura frowned before turning toward the Hyuga who had lain back down on the bed; his brow was still furrowed.

"Are you looking at me for a specific reason?" Neji asked without even opening an eye. Sakura hid her surprise well before taking a step closer to the bed.

"If you're experiencing migraines or headaches," Sakura said as she bit her lip slightly. With the way the Hyuga had acted back in the first part of the exams, Sakura really didn't want to help him, but Sakura could see how much pain he was in. Plus, he was Lee-senpai's teammate. "I have some lavender oil that might help."

Neji's eyes opened and his head turned to stare at her. Sakura knew that he was surprised by her offer, but she didn't allow that to show as she waited for his answer.

"How do I know that you didn't poison the lavender oil?" Neji asked. He was rather suspicious, but Sakura ignored it for the moment.

"I'll use it too," Sakura said with a shrug. "Or you could ask Kiba to smell it before you use it. I have a lot of little remedies that I brought with me just in case."

"Hn," Neji said as he closed his eyes again with a grimace. Sakura knew that was Neji's way of dismissing her, but she ignored it.

She hated to see anyone in pain, even if they were being a stubborn asshole like Neji was. Neji's attitude actually reminded her much of what Sasuke-kun used to be like.

Grabbing a scroll from her kunai pouch, Sakura kneeled on the ground before releasing the scroll's contents. Many different herbs and oils lay on top of the scroll along with a batch of water and several small bowls for mixing.

Sakura concealed her chakra completely as she grabbed the lavender oil she had. Dabbing the oil onto her pointer finger and middle finger, Sakura rubbed her temples softly to soak in the oil before heading over to Neji.

Adding more oil to her fingers, Sakura's hand moved to Neji's head before his hand shot up and stopped her.

"I believe I declined your offer," Neji said as he gritted his teeth; his white eyes were open and narrowed on her form.

"You actually didn't say anything except 'hn'," Sakura pointed out. "And I already used some of the oil on me. Smell?"

Sakura brought her head closer to Neji's face, and she only stopped when she was an inch or so away from his nose.

Sakura heard Neji take a deep intake of breath through his nose, and his hold on her wrist weakened. It was then that she realized just how close she was to his lips…

Leaning back quickly, Sakura's eyes connected with Neji's, and it felt like his eyes were piercing through her soul.

"It'll help alleviate the pain," Sakura said as she tugged her fingers free. She tried to focus as her cheeks began to pink. "I promise."

"… Do it quickly," Neji said finally as he looked in the opposite direction of her and closed his eyes again. Sakura nodded as she dabbed the oil on her fingers again before she brought the fingers up to his temple and began to rub his temple softly.

She noticed Neji immediately relax as she rubbed the temple a little harder. Withdrawing her hands, Sakura put the lavender oil on her ring and middle fingers of her other hand before she started to massage Neji's other temple.

Warm air blew out from Neji's mouth, and Sakura shivered slightly at the weird sensation. After a few minutes, Sakura felt satisfied Neji's headache was starting to go away. Removing her hands, Sakura turned to seal up her scroll of herbs, and get ready to leave.

Kneeling on the ground, Sakura put the lavender oil back in its designated place before sealing the scroll up with a quick hand sign.

Hearing movement behind her, Sakura stood and turned quickly enough to come face to face with Neji Hyuga. Neji's face was a lot more relaxed than it had been earlier, and Sakura was happy that she could help him feel better.

"I…" Neji started while looking at her. The eye contact didn't last long, and soon Neji was looking at a spot over her shoulder. "I wanted to say thank you."

"It's no probl-"

"Why the hell are you in here Sakura-Chan!?" Naruto's frazzled voice asked as he burst into the room with Sasuke not so far behind. Sakura turned to see both of her teammates sending a glare toward Neji once they realized the two of them were the only ones in the room.

"And you're alone with the Hyuga?" Sasuke said with gritted teeth as he quickly grabbed Sakura and pulled her behind him. "What were you thinking coming in here alone?"

"I actually came with Lee-senpai," Sakura said with a frown. She really hoped these two wouldn't act like this whenever she was alone with a guy. She hadn't even been doing anything anyways. "Lee-senpai gave me a set of replacement weights, and then he and Tenten went to grab some food. Neji and I were-"

"Does it really bother you that she was here alone with me?" Neji asked with a raised eyebrow as his eyes darted from Sakura back to Sasuke.

"Damn right it does!" Naruto yelled as he pointed an accusing finger toward Neji. "I refuse to let you corrupt Sakura-Chan."

"Corrupt?" Sakura's cheeks glowed red at Naruto's words, and she shook her head quickly. "Naruto-kun, I was just helping alleviate Neji's headache. I used the same lavender oil that I use to help Sasuke-kun's headaches."

"Hn," Sasuke said as he crossed his arms over his chest. Neji mimicked the action, and sent a "Hn" in response.

Sakura shook her head at the ridiculous antics of the two in front of her. "I'm still hungry," Sakura said as she looked to the only other sane one in the room at the moment: Naruto. "Wanna go grab some food Naruto-kun?"

"Hn" Naruto said to her as he too crossed his arms over his chest. Sakura found that boys were hopeless…

Xxx The Smell of Lavender Oil xxX

Sakura found herself exploring the tower in the wee hours of the morning. Sakura was still finding it difficult to sleep and rest for longer than a few hours; especially after what Orochimaru had said.

She refused to focus on Orochimaru's words at the moment, however, because she had been told that there was a library somewhere in the tower.

Kotetsu had found Sakura in the kitchen after she had helped Neji with his headache, and had told her there was a library in the tower that all the genin could go to if they wanted. He of course hadn't told her where the library was, but that was of little consequence.

She liked exploring, and even though she knew there were ninja teams who were a lot stronger than she was, Sakura knew that they couldn't attack her at the moment. The truce had been intact throughout the whole day, and Sakura knew no one wanted to be disqualified.

Sensing to see if there was chakra behind each door as she walked, Sakura only opened the doors that held no chakra behind it. She doubted any of the other teams would be up at the moment. In fact, if her teammates knew she was up they would probably flip.

Ignoring that, Sakura's mind instead went to the different scrolls and books the library probably held. She had opened about twenty doors with no success, but Sakura could feel she was close.

Two doors later, Sakura was rewarded with a room filled with books and scolls. Flipping on the light switch by the door, Sakura's eyes scanned the shelves of the library. There were tons of books and scrolls.

Walking inside, Sakura's eyes scanned the book titles, and noticed with a smile that there were some titles she didn't recognize. Grabbing one that was titled All You Need to Know on Ame Herbs, Sakura's eyes immediately dove into the book without thinking.

"…Hn," Sakura heard a few minutes later, and she froze. Dropping the book in front of her, Sakura turned slowly before her eyes caught sight of the person who had spoken. "I thought you were able to sense chakra better than that."

"I usually am," Sakura said quietly as she looked into aquamarine eyes. Gaara had been silent in his entrance, and she had been too distracted to sense him.

"How disappointing," Gaara said as he took a step forward. Sakura took a step back as he continued to walk toward her… Kami why was his aura so scary?

Eventually, Sakura could no longer take steps back as her back connected with the bookshelf that had been behind her. Gaara continued walking until he was only about a foot away from her.

"Are you scared of me?" Gaara questioned as he tilted his head to the side. Sakura didn't want to use words at the moment, so she just nodded. She was completely afraid of the male before her after the display of power he had shown earlier in the day… he had suspended his own teammate, his own brother, in the air with sand just because he had been pissed off. "Good."

Gaara took another step forward, and Sakura had to press her back even harder into the bookshelf to keep from touching him. His eyes scanned her face before they landed to her temples; Sakura watched as his nose twitched slightly, and Sakura knew he smelled the lavender oil.

"It's lavender oil," Sakura listed quickly as she tried to focus on something other than Gaara's closeness. "It is used to help alleviate headaches when it is massaged directly on the temple."

"Hn," Gaara said as he tilted his head the other way. "Interesting…"

Sakura looked up and scanned Gaara's features closely. The male had dark black marks under his eyes, a tense forehead and shoulders, and his eyes were bloodshot. She could tell from those symptoms that he was more than likely dealing with insomnia and migraines.

"You could use some if you wanted," Sakura said trying to be casual as her heart began to speed up. Anything to get him away from her; his aura was suffocating. "Or I could make you some tea using some passionflower? It's used as a natural sleep aid-"

Gaara's dark chuckle cut Sakura off from her sentence. Looking upward, Sakura's fear grew as Gaara's eyes widened at her and he grinned.

"You wouldn't want me to fall asleep," Gaara said with a shake of his head as he took a few steps back. "You _really_ don't want me to fall asleep."

"What-"

Before she could ask Gaara exactly why she didn't want him to fall asleep he disappeared in a swirl of sand. Sakura took a breath before taking a step away from the bookshelf. Eyes scanning the area, Sakura tried to sense any chakra signatures. Feeling confident that there was no one else around, she began looking to the floor to try to find the book she had dropped. She refused to be caught twice in one night.

Frowning, Sakura's eyes scanned the floor, but she couldn't find the book she had been trying to read before Gaara had interrupted her. It was no longer there… Sakura had a bad feeling about this.

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><p>So, did you guys enjoy Neji and Sakura's interaction? What about Gaara and Sakura's interaction? Let me know what you guys think! I love getting suggestions!<p> 


	20. Preliminary Matches 1

Hey all! I was actually pretty busy tonight, so I had to stay up extra late to update this chapter! Now on with the chapter!

This chapter's shout out goes out to GiantMonkeyMan, UchihaJennifer, and TheseBattleScars! Thanks for all of your support and thought provoking questions!

GiantMonkeyMan- I appreciate your review! My main focus will definitely be on Sakura's growth, and while there will be a little romance with her flittered throughout my story, I will try to focus more on Sakura's strength. I appreciate your non-flame, but critical review : )

And as always, I need to thank Art of Harmony. That woman is messaging me and inspiring me to become a better writer! You should all be grateful to her, because she is one of the biggest reasons I am updating as quickly as I am! : )

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Preliminary Matches 1

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><p>Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke were heading back to the room they shared after lunch. It was the final day of the second part of the exams and there were currently six teams that had arrived at the tower.<p>

"Statistically saying," Sakura said with a frown. "There should be more teams here. There were 26 teams, which means only a max amount of 13 teams can pass this test. To have six teams pass… I think that will be too few."

"But there was that Bastard's team," Naruto said as he talked about Orochimaru's team. "He swallowed his team's scroll…"

"I'm sure he wouldn't be coming to the tower anyways, Dobe," Sasuke said with a frown. "But that automatically rules out one more team."

"So we cut down the numbers to 12 teams making it through," Sakura said. "But then again, there's bound to be at least one team that opened their scroll before getting to the tower, because they're idiots."

"So down to 11 then?" Naruto asked while using his fingers to count. Sakura smiled at the blond before nodding.

"But then again," Sakura said musing. "I'm sure there is going to be teams who just don't pass. Did any of the teams here take more than one scroll? That would have been good strategy if we hadn't been injured."

"You're so smart, Sakura-Chan!" Naruto said as the three bounded to their doorway. Opening the door first, Naruto launched himself on to the first bed by the door; it had been his bed since they had started staying in the tower.

"Math is just numbers," Sakura said with a shrug as she started to head toward her bed next. The group of three had decided not to train today and just rest and mentally prepare instead. There was a training ground where the group of three had trained for the last two days to get ready. "And strategy is easy when you think about it."

Walking over to her bed, Sakura's eyes widened as she found a tanto sword with a note. Quickly grabbing the note, Sakura's eyes scanned the note before smiling.

"_Sakura-Chan,_

_I noticed how sad you were about not having your dagger, so I told Hayate about it, and we decided to get you a new sword! Of course Izumo had to help me pick it out (that guy is super picky), but I think you're going to like it! _

_Kotetsu_

_P.S. Keep this hush hush from the rest of the little genin! Hayate is the proctor for the next part of the exams, and we wouldn't want them assuming we're playing favorites, even though we totally are. ; )"_

Sakura's hands flew to the tanto sword that was resting on her bed. The sheath was black in color, and the hilt had three small cherry blossom flowers; Sakura smiled at the irony.

Unsheathing the blade, Sakura noticed with a small grin that the blade in her hand looked very similar to the blades she had seen Izumo and Kotetsu use three days earlier. The tanto blade was three inches longer than her dagger had been, and was curved to resemble a kunai.

Sakura slashed the blade a few times before she sheathed the blade. Wrapping the blade onto her kunai pouch, Sakura smiled before crumping up the note, and throwing it away.

"Who is the sword from Sakura-Chan?" Naruto asked curiously.

"My kenjutsu senseis," Sakura said with a grin. She knew this had to mean Kotetsu was going to work with her on kenjutsu when the exams were over. "You can meet them when we're done with the exams."

Xxx Preliminary Matches 1 xxX

It was 3 pm and the teams who had passed the second part of the exams had been lined up and were currently standing in front of the Hokage in a large training area.

Their senseis were all lined up behind the Hokage with Hayate, Ibiki, and Anko flanking his sides.

There were seven teams who had passed, and Sakura recognized each one of them. Her team had lined up toward the middle, Hinata-Chan's team to their left, Lee-senpai's team to their right. Beside Hinata's team was Ino's team. Beside Lee's team were Kabuto's team, then Gaara's team, and then the Sound genin. Sakura had been surprised the Sound team had passed…

"Hokage-sama will now explain the third test," Anko barked at the group. "Listen carefully!"

"There is something I'd like you to know," the Hokage spoke with a pipe in his mouth. "Before we begin the third part of the exams; it concerns the true reason for these exams."

Sakura's eyes focused on the Hokage, and she tried to understand exactly why the villages brought together their genin for a purpose other than promoting chuunin.

"It is said that these exams are to promote friendship among the countries, and to raise the level of shinobi throughout the countries," the Hokage said with a puff of his pipe. "The true reason for the exams, however, is a replacement for war among the allied nations."

It made sense, Sakura thought with a frown. To prevent excessive shinobi death, the fighting countries probably created these exams. They would only promote or put in their strongest shinobi.

"These exams decide who becomes a chuunin," the Hokage said as he gave the genin a grim expression. "But on the other hand, this exam allows villages to gain strength with influential individuals, or lose strength…"

The village that have the most shinobi in the third part of the exams and do well will be seen as strong, Sakura realized. It would help Konoha gain better ties with trade caravans, daimyos, and any other member of the government.

"This exam is used to show off each country's strength," the Hokage said. "To show off your own strength. The better you do in the exam, the better your country will do as a result."

"Why is there stuff about friendship then?" Tenten asked as the group of genin looked grim.

"Because there will be lives lost in these battles," Hokage-sama said with another puff from his pipe. "Losing lives is what shapes our country's friendship in the world of shinobi…"

"This is not just a test," the Hokage said with finality. "But a life risking fight with your dreams and your country's standing on the line. Now, I will begin to explain the third part of the exams."

"Excuse me," Hayate said with a bow to the Hokage as he took a step forward. "But as the proctor for this part of the exams, I'd like to explain the rules."

"By all means," the Hokage said with a nod, and Hayate stood and cast a look to the group in front of him. Sakura smiled when Hayate's eyes landed on her, and the man smiled before coughing into his fist. She really did have to find a different remedy that was going to work with him…

"Hello everyone," Hayate said with a cough. "I'm Hayate. Before the third test there is actually going to be a preliminary round; the first and second tests were too easy."

"According to the rules," Anko said with a grin as she took a step forward to stand beside Hayate. "We have to have a preliminary to reduce the amount of participants for the third test… the preliminary matches will be the start of individual battles."

Sakura felt Naruto frown before looking back to her. She knew he was still worried about her ribs, but really, they were as good as they were going to be at the moment. She refused to be afraid or quit just because they hurt a little bit.

"So those who don't feel well, or don't feel up to taking these exams," Hayate said with another cough. "Can come forward now, and we will escort you out. We plan to start the preliminary rounds as quickly as possible."

The room was silent, and Sakura's eyes scanned the other teams to see if anyone looked like they were going to give up. After a few moments, no one stepped forward, and Hayate coughed before nodding.

"It looks like no one wants to retire," Hayate noted on a clipboard he was carrying. "Now let's begin the preliminary exam. This exam will consist of you fighting one on one against another shinobi in a confrontation-like battle. Because there are 21 of you, one of you will automatically be given a spot in the third part of the exams.

"There are basically no rules," Hayate said with a cough. Was Sakura imagining it, or was he looking even paler than he had when he had first come into the room? "The fight continues until one of you dies, is knocked out, admits defeat, or is incapacitated. When I decide who the winner is I'll jump in and stop the battles… we don't need any unnecessary deaths."

"This electronic board above us," Hayate said nodding to the screen that stood a good fifteen feet about the jounin senseis' heads. "Will randomly determine the match-ups for each battle. The one person who does not have their name appear on the board will automatically be passed into the third part of the exams."

"Now let's begin," Hayate said with a deep cough that made Sakura wince. "Anko."

Anko talked into the headset she had, and within a few seconds the board began to show random characters. Sakura looked to the other genin, and wondered who she'd get to face.

She was surrounded by so many strong shinobi. She hoped that all three of her teammates would be able to defeat their opponent and move to the third part of the exams.

After a few moments, the board stopped flashing characters, and two names appeared:

_Sakura Haruno Vs. Kiba Inuzuka_

Sakura watched as Kiba grinned; he must have thought he had gotten an easy opponent. Sakura frowned at the fact that he thought she would be an easy win.

"Now those who are not participating in this battle please head to one of the balconies," Hayate said pointing to the two balconies that were on either side of the arena. Sakura shifted her weight to walk toward the center of the room, but stopped when she felt a hand on her arm.

"Kick his ass, Sakura," Sasuke said as he nodded to Naruto who had started to head toward the balcony. "For the Dobe."

"I gotcha," Sakura said with a determined smile. She had remembered what Kiba had said about Naruto during the first part of the exam, and it made her protective. Everyone thought Naruto was weak and dumb, but he had been one of the strongest ones on their team when they had been in the forest of death.

"I'll hold your weights," Sasuke said as he nodded to the new weights Sakura had on her arms and ankles. Smiling, Sakura quickly undid her weights before jumping up and down a few times; she always felt quicker after she had taken her weights off.

Walking over to the center of the room, Sakura stopped a few feet away from Kiba. She could tell that Kiba wasn't going to take this fight seriously, and that in itself pissed her off… she'd make him regret that.

Sakura's hand brushed against her tanto sword before bowing to Hayate in thanks. She couldn't out right thank him in front of the other genin, but Sakura was grateful. Hayate smiled with a cough before taking his position between them.

"Good luck Sakura-Chan!" Naruto yelled from the upper level as he was waving his hand enthusiastically. Sakura had to fight a grin at the blond's ability to make her smile no matter the situation.

"This is the first battle of the preliminaries," Hayate said as he looked to her and Kiba. "Sakura Haruno and Kiba Inuzuka are you ready?"

"Yep," Kiba said with a grin. Sakura nodded her affirmation; she'd prove to Kiba that she was stronger than he thought she was.

"Now," Hayate said as he leaped backward. "Please begin."

"This'll be eas-"

Sakura stopped Kiba's sentence as she launched forward and swept his feet out from under him. Sakura heard Lee-senpai hooting loudly from the balcony, and she had to fight a grin as she followed the attack up with a punch.

Kiba moved too quickly for the punch to connect, but Sakura was able to pull her punch and jump backward as Kiba tried to land a punch on her.

Landing a few feet away from him, Sakura grabbed a kunai and stood her ground.

"Huh," Kiba said with a grin. "Looks like she has a little more fight to her than we thought, right Akamaru?"

"Bark!"

"We'll let you rest a little longer, Akamaru," Kiba said while dropping to his hands and feet. The little gray dog jumped off Kiba's head and sat down wagging his tail. Sakura looked weary as Kiba brought a hand into the tiger seal before grinning. "Beast Human taijutsu."

Sakura could sense the shift in his chakra and noticed that it had increased. Gritting her teeth, Sakura's eyes widened as Kiba shot forward. She hadn't been anticipating his speed, so as Kiba's shoulder connected with her chest, Sakura was sent hurtling backward.

Her back connected with the wall, and she felt her ribs groan in protest as she tried to sit up.

"She won't be getting up," Kiba said as he turned his back to her and started to walk back toward the balcony.

His words increased her anger greatly. She hated to be underestimated, and just because he had gotten a good hit in did not mean she was finished. Using the wall to help her up, Sakura launched her kunai toward Kiba's back.

"Bark!"

Akamaru's bark was the only thing that saved Kiba from a kunai to the back, and Sakura grinned as he turned to her with his eyes wide.

"But I-"

"Don't underestimate me," Sakura said before looking back to the balcony where her team watched her. "Or my team… We're stronger than you know."

"Yeah," Kiba said with a snort. "I'd like to see that."

"Come at me with your full strength then," Sakura said as she shifted her feet into a better defensive position.

"Alright," Kiba said nodding to his dog companion. "Let's go Akamaru!"

Kiba grabbed something from his kunai pouch before he raced toward her. Sakura was able to identify the small balls easily.

"Smoke balls!" She heard Naruto yell from above her, and her mind began to race.

The smoke balls were most likely a distraction and he would expect her to race out of the smoke as quickly as possible. Putting her hands together, Sakura quickly made a substitution before appearing behind Kiba.

Sakura punched Kiba in the side of the head, and as she followed up with another punch, Kiba dodged and frowned.

Sakura rolled out of the way as Akamaru jumped at her, his teeth looking sharp as he tried to attach himself to her arm. As Akamaru leaped at her again, Sakura felt his chakra a little better. It was weird to think but Akamaru's chakra was very similar to Kiba's, but it wasn't completely the same.

Throwing her elbow back, Sakura felt Kiba dodge the elbow before she jumped a yard or so away and tried to rethink her strategy.

She had been trying to get Kiba into a compromising position with her kunai or tanto. She hadn't wanted to threaten his life at all because no matter how angry he made her, Kiba was a comrade. The thing she found annoying though was that whenever she was going to attack Kiba, Akamaru would attack her, and whenever she tried to switch her tactic and attack Akamaru, Kiba was there.

I've got to pit them against each other, Sakura thought as she frowned. She'd been able to do it with Sasuke-kun in the forest of death, but that was probably because she knew Sasuke's chakra so well. She'd have to get a little closer to Akamaru to do what she was thinking…

Grabbing her tanto sword, Sakura waited on Kiba. Kiba had gone into his kunai pouch again and was currently throwing a small pill toward Akamaru while crunching on one of his own.

Akamaru's fur began to glow red, and Sakura realized Kiba had given the dog a soldier pill. Akamaru's chakra had increased significantly, and, unfortunately for Kiba, that made it easier for her to sense and analyze it.

There was an animalistic nature in both Kiba's and Akamaru's chakra signature that she had expected. Grabbing a few shuriken, Sakura threw three at Akamaru.

The dog dodged the weapons easily, and he jumped on top of Kiba's back.

"Here we go Akamaru," Kiba said as he put his hands together. "Beast Human Transformation!"

Akamaru poofed and soon a second Kiba was in front of her. Sakura frowned, but knew she could use this to her advantage.

Biting her lip, Sakura focused chakra to her feet to hopefully increase her speed. She needed to dodge at least a few attacks if she wanted to make it to the next round.

They were on her quickly, and Sakura barely had the chance to dodge as both Akamaru and Kiba tried to attack her. She could still sense which 'Kiba' was which.

Flipping backward, Sakura narrowly missed being swiped by Akamaru. As Sakura landed, her foot faltered slightly, and Sakura heard Kiba's howl of approval.

"An opening!" Kiba roared as his eyes glowed. "Take this! Fang over Fang!"

Sakura's eyes widened as she quickly tried to jump away from the spot they were spinning toward: namely her. Kiba and Akamaru were currently small tornado-like weapons; Sakura was sure it would hurt to be hit by one of them.

Bringing her hands together, Sakura quickly made a substitution and substituted to a location behind them.

"It's not that easy to get rid of us," Kiba roared as he and Akamaru landed on the wall near where she had been only moments ago. The two began to spin again, and Sakura knew that she would have to time this perfectly if she was going to pull it off.

Sakura dug her heels into the ground as she waited until Kiba and Akamaru were only a few feet away. She made a hand sign and concentrated on Akamaru's chakra before she felt a familiar tug.

Within seconds, Sakura felt two large tornado-like bodies crash into her front and sent her hurtling backward. Sakura wrapped her arms around her ribs as she connected with the wall.

She hadn't completely understood the chakra network of an animal, and had not been able to substitute her body with Akamaru.

One more try, Sakura said as she started to lift her body up on weak legs. "I can do it if I try again."

"There's no way you're going to beat us," Kiba said with a snarky laugh. "You couldn't even do a replacement on that last attack."

"YOU CAN DO IT SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto's voice rang through the arena. Sakura found herself smiling.

"Hn!" Sasuke said as he let her know he was also supporting her. Shaking her head slightly, Sakura pulled herself up completely, and waited for Kiba to come at her again.

"You're just asking to be beat up," Kiba said with a shake of his head as he and Akamaru launched themselves at her again.

Sakura's arm remained around her ribs as she brought the other up into a hand sign. Concentrating, once again on Akamaru's chakra; Sakura felt the familiar pull of a substitution jutsu. Sakura closed her eyes and allowed her body to substitute with Akamaru's.

Sakura landed on the floor a few feet away from where she had just been as Kiba and Akamaru collided.

A loud boom was heard and the two 'Kibas' were sent back ten feet. Sakura could tell that the two had crashed into each other hard. Capitalizing on the confusion, and knowing Kiba wouldn't be able to recover quick enough to stop her, Sakura raced toward where Kiba's body lay on the ground.

Grabbing a kunai from her pouch, Sakura slammed the kunai on top of Kiba's hand before leaping back as a dazed Akamaru tried to attack her.

Akamaru had reverted back to his dog form, and she could tell that the colliding fang over fang had hurt them both. Sakura leaped back a few more feet as she waited to see what Kiba's reaction would be.

"What are you doing?" Kiba asked. Kiba pulled out the kunai with his non-injured hand before he tried to stand up. Kiba's fumbled slightly and fell back to his butt. Bringing his hand to his nose, Kiba's eyes widened before he shot her an accusatory look. "Poison?"

"You used solider pills," Sakura accused with a shrug as she watched Kiba slowly lose coordination. Akamaru was currently next to his master whining. "Poison is another weapon a ninja can use."

"The battle isn't over yet," Kiba said as he struggled to stand. "I'm going to be Hokage one day, and I can't lose to you."

"I only know one of the Rookie 9 who is going to be Hokage," Sakura said as she watched Kiba fall to the ground again. "And he isn't you."

"WAY TO GO SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto yelled from the balcony. "WOO!"

"I haven't even declared the winner yet," Hayate said with a sigh as he took a step forward. "Winner, Sakura Haruno!"

Sakura's hand was still holding her ribs as she headed toward the balcony where her teammates were standing. She felt a great rush of relief when Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, and Kakashi-sensei all met her at the bottom of the stairs.

Naruto rushed forward and squeezed her tightly making her flinch. Sasuke was quick to slap him on the back of his head. "She's injured, Dobe," Sasuke accused.

"I don't care!" Naruto said with a watery grin. "She won!"

She could tell Naruto had been grateful for her words, and even though his arms squeezed her too tightly at the moment, Sakura knew Naruto was going to make a fine Hokage one day…

With the support and guidance of Sasuke-kun and herself, of course.

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><p>So I'm hoping you all won't be mad at me for switching up the preliminary battles ; ) I really liked UNCPanda's idea about having Kiba fight Sakura, so I kind of just went with it. What did you guys think? Who do you think is going to fight who in the coming battles? And what is up with Kabuto not quitting the exams? I want to hear what you thinkkkkkkk!<p> 


	21. Preliminary Matches 2

Hello all! Sorry I've posted an hour or so later than I wanted to! I had to look up a lot of information on these everyone's fighting styles so I can try to make these preliminary battles as realistic as possible.

Todays shout outs go out to Guest (who called me a fanfic god lol), and Guest who appreciated Sakura's use of her brain : ) And as always, thanks go out to Art of Harmony who is ridiculously supportive and helpful.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Preliminary Matches 2

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><p>Sakura leaned against the railing beside Naruto and Sasuke. Beside them stood Team Gai, and Lee hadn't stopped complimenting her since she had arrived on the balcony.<p>

"Your taijutsu was much better than when we started training," Lee praised again as he helped her put her weights back on. "I saw some stuff we can still work on, but your youthful self has truly blossomed."

"Thanks Lee-senpai," Sakura said as she grinned. "I tried to put together a strategy that would work, and I'm glad it did… I had another idea I was going to use if the substitution jutsu didn't work, but Plan A is always the easiest one to go with."

"What were you going to do?" Sasuke asked curiously as they watched Kiba get carted off to the medical wing. She had made sure to give some of the antidote of the poison to the medics; she didn't want Kiba to suffer.

"Use his senses against him," Sakura said with a shrug. "Inuzuka's have very sensitive ears and noses, so I was going to do something that was going to attack both of those… Well that was before Kiba had attacked me with his fang over fang. That seriously hurt… I'm actually not sure my plan B would have worked actually."

"I almost had to hold the boys back from jumping in to stop the first attack," Kakashi said with a small smirk.

"That's because Kiba's a bastard," Naruto said with a frown as he crossed his arms. "He hurt you Sakura-Chan."

"Yeah," Sakura said with an eyebrow raise. "And I hurt him. Do you think Shino and Hinata-Chan think I'm a 'bastard' too?"

"Well no, but-"

"It was a battle," Sakura said. "We we're both trying to beat the other person. Because we were comrades, we both didn't use anything that was too harmful. I'm actually glad I went up against someone from the Leaf… Who knows what the other villages would have done."

"Hn," Sasuke said with a nod. "I still want to fight Gaara… and Neji… and Lee… and you, Naruto."

Naruto looked surprised before he grinned. "I want to fight you too Sasuke-Teme," Naruto said with a grin. "And I wanted to fight Kiba, but since Sakura-Chan beat him, I want to fight her now."

"You want to fight me, Naruto-kun?" Sakura asked in question as she turned her eyes away from the arena and toward the blond. "Why?"

"Because you've gotten really strong, Sakura-Chan," Naruto said as the smile lit up his face. "And you're super smart. I want to see what kind of strategy you'd come up with against me."

"I don't think she'd need a strategy against you, Dobe," Sasuke said with a smug smile.

"Hey Teme!"

"Alright," Hayate's voice spoke as he looked to the balconies. "Now that we have the first match taken care of, we will continue on with the second match. Anko, please call the next match."

Anko nodded and then spoke into the microphone before the characters on the screen began to move again. Looking to the other genin, Sakura was hopeful that Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun wouldn't be put up against Gaara … she knew her teammates were strong, but she knew they needed to train more before they faced someone of his caliber.

The characters stopped, and the second battle was displayed:

_Neji Hyuga vs. Yoroi Akado_

"Another Leaf genin fighting a Leaf genin," Sakura muttered with a frown. "But then again there are four teams from the Leaf here."

"It was bound to happen," Kakashi said as the group watched Neji began to descend the stairs. From across the balcony, Sakura watched Kabuto's teammate Yoroi begin to walk toward the center of the arena.

Yoroi's chakra was sterile with a leechy quality to it that Sakura didn't understand. He wore a long black mask that covered two-thirds of his face, and had black sunglasses that covered his eyes. His forehead protector was on top of a bandana that covered the top part of his head. The only things Sakura could see clearly on his face were his ears, the back of his neck, and the small area around his eyes.

Neji seemed very calm, and ready to fight. Even without having seen Neji fight before, Sakura had a feeling Neji was going to win. Lee's loud yell of encouragement only seemed to help her previous thought along.

"You guys have trained with him before," Sakura said while looking to her own teammates. "Is he really that good?"

"Hn," Sasuke said with a shrug. Naruto quickly shook his head.

"No way, Sakura-Chan!" Naruto said quickly.

"Neji is probably the strongest Leaf genin here," Lee said as he interrupted Naruto.

She wanted to ask more, but both Neji and Yoroi had walked to the center of the ring, and Sakura knew the match was about to start. Neji appeared calm, and Sakura couldn't read Yoroi at all.

"I had wished to battle Sasuke Uchiha," Yoroi's voice was deep and he cast a look toward Sasuke.

"How ironic," Neji said with a smirk. "That's who I was hoping to fight."

"I'll just have to beat you quickly then," Yoroi said in a determined voice. "So you won't be too disappointed."

"I'd like to see you try!" Tenten yelled from the balcony. Her brown eyes were focused on the match before them. Sakura knew that Tenten or Lee-senpai would be the ones to ask about Neji's strength.

"Hn," Neji said as he crossed his arms. "Let's get this over with."

"Alright," Hayate said while looking to both participants. "This is the second preliminary battle for the chuunin exams. Neji Hyuga, Yoroi Akado; are you ready?"

"Yes," Yoroi and Neji said at the same time.

"Then this battle will begin!"

As Hayate leapt away from the two, Neji easily moved into a crouch Sakura was not familiar with. It was an open stance; his right leg had shifted backward and his left arm was held open and upward.

"Is that how he usually fights?" Sakura asked as she watched Neji's eyes change. His white eyes grew veins around the outside, and Sakura could sense chakra was being focused there.

"It's the Hyuga taijutsu style," Lee commented from beside her. "It is probably the Leaf's strongest taijutsu style."

Yoroi didn't take long to run toward Neji, his hands glowing blue with chakra. Tilting to the left, Neji tried to strike Yoroi with his left palm. Yoroi dodged the palm and tried to follow up with his right arm; Neji's slid his body smoothly to the side and dodged the hit.

Sakura noticed the elegant and smooth movements of Neji and wondered if the stance Neji was in was effective in actually harming the other shinobi. Open palms weren't the strongest thing to be hit with; Sakura was curious to see what his attacks could do.

Moving forward, Neji put his pointer finger and middle finger together and slammed down on Yoroi's arm. Yoroi let out a yell of protest before jumping backward and shaking his arm.

"What just happened?" Sakura asked as she noticed the chakra in Yoroi's arm decrease.

"Yeah," Naruto said with a frown. "It looked like he just touched him."

"A touch is enough," Lee said as his eyes stayed on the match. "That's why the Hyuga taijutsu is so great."

"Lee and I use a taijutsu that causes damage to the body and breaks bones," Gai-sensei lectured easily. "It is called the Iron Fist style and aims to cause damage to your opponent's outer body. The Hyuga style causes damage by flooding their chakra into their opponent's inner coils. It destroys the inner organs or chakra points and is called the gentle fist."

Sakura was a little amazed as she watched Neji continue to hit Yoroi with his two fingers. As she concentrated more, Sakura could sense the chakra slowly decreasing in Yoroi's arm.

"He's shutting off the chakra pathways in his arms," Sakura said while watching Neji move. She always had faith in her teammates, but she wasn't sure Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, or herself would be able to know how to defend against that… she'd have to talk to Hinata-Chan about it later.

"You're so smart Sakura-Chan," Kakashi-sensei praised her by patting her head. "And the byakugan is the thing that helps them see the chakra points and know where to hit to effectively shut off their opponent's chakra."

"That would be hard to defend against," Sakura said out loud as Neji slammed a palm on Yoroi's stomach. Yoroi's body was sent flying back at the force of Neji's hand.

Slowly, Yoroi got up again and focused chakra into his working arm, his other arm dangling uselessly.

"It was fate that you lose here today," Neji said as he stalked forward.

"I'm sure it was," Yoroi said with a grunt as he took another step forward. In an instant, Yoroi had launched himself at Neji again, and the action had actually taken Neji by surprise. Neji dodged left, but couldn't stop Yoroi's good hand from grazing his left arm.

Neji shifted backwards to avoid getting touched by Yoroi's chakra arm.

"You're trying to drain my chakra," Neji said with a frown. "Though that may help you in the long run, you cannot steal strength or imitate strength. Strength is something you either have or you don't. I have it, but you don't."

Neji shifted forward and quickly attacked Yoroi with his quick palms. Sakura turned to see Sasuke watching the battle with his sharingan activated.

"He really tried to steal Neji's chakra?" Sakura asked.

"He tried to suck it from him," Sasuke nodded an affirmative. "I can see how it works. Yoroi was trying to add Neji's chakra to his chakra reserves… interesting."

Sakura turned to the battle once again, and Neji had Yoroi on the ground. From what she could tell, Neji had effectively shut off Yoroi's chakra points on both of his arms, and had connected another hit to his opponent's chest.

Yoroi kneeled on the ground, blood flowing from his mouth.

"You wouldn't have even beat Sasuke," Neji said as he deactivated his byakugan. "Call this match proctor, it is over."

"I cccc-an," Yoroi started to speak.

"I cut off your chakra points in your chest and arms," Neji said as he started to walk back to the balcony. "You can't even perform a jutsu… it is over."

"Winner… Neji Hyuga!" Hayate called as he motioned for more medics to enter. Sakura watched as Neji ascended the stairs. She hadn't thought that he would be as strong as he was, but he had been. Sakura's mind raced as she tried to come up with different ideas she would use to counter-act Neji's style.

Neji was semi quiet as he returned to his position a few feet away from her. "Great job Neji!" Lee said with a grin and a thumbs up. "I knew you could do it."

"Hn," Neji said as he crossed his arms. "He was weak, so it was his destiny to lose to me. When you are weak like him, there is no chance you will change or get better; disgusting."

"You don't think someone can get stronger?" Sakura found herself asking before she frowned. How could someone think that?

"No," Neji said emotionlessly. "Losers are losers. Their personality and strength will not change over time. People cannot change, differences are born and if you are weak you are bound to be weak the rest of your life. It is your destiny."

"How the hell can you say that?" Naruto yelled sounding angry. Sakura felt rage flare through her veins as well.

"Looks, brains, ability, size and personality," Neji said. "All people judge and are judged on these basic values. Based on these unchangeable factors, people are not allowed to grow or evolve."

"You're an idiot," Sasuke said with a shake of his head as he looked to Neji.

"Sure," Sakura said after biting her lip. "Some people have more potential than others, and jutsu and ability come naturally to people, but if you work hard enough, then you can gain strength."

"I disagree," Neji said as his eyes landed on Sakura. "If you were weak before the exams, the exams will not make you stronger. It is purely coincidental that you have made it this far."

"You're ridiculous!" Naruto yelled.

"We'll get onto the third preliminary battle," Hayate said after a cough. Team seven gave Hayate their attention, while Sakura's mind still reeled with the information Neji had given them.

How could he believe in something that sounded so foolish? Some people were born strong, others made themselves strong; that is what Sakura believed. Neji was obviously the first category, and Sakura was slowly working herself into being the second category.

The characters began to change on the board again, and Sakura was curious as to who the next battle would be.

_Kin Tsuchi vs. Dosu Kinuta_

Sakura was more than surprised to see two teammates being called down to battle. She looked across the room to see both Kin and Dosu descend the staircase.

The two hadn't even looked at each other, but to their sensei when their names had been posted. Their sensei had nodded, and that made it obvious to Sakura that he wanted them to fight.

After remembering their skills from the forest of death, Sakura was thinking that Dosu definitely had an upper hand in this battle.

The only thing Sakura had seen Kin use was senbon, and Sakura knew that Dosu could blow away senbon with his metal arm.

Standing in the middle of the area, Hayate turned to both ninja. "Dosu Kinuta and Kin Tsuchi; are you ready?"

"I won't go easy on you with _sensei_ watching," Kin said with a determined look in her eye. "I am ready."

"I am also ready," Dosu said as his arms lay lazily at his sides.

"Then the third battle in the preliminary matches can begin!"

Kin was the first one to react, and she quickly grabbed some senbon from her kunai pouch.

She fired the belled senbon needles at Dosu, and he was quick to dodge them.

"I don't even need to use my jutsu on you Kin," Dosu taunted as he jumped toward her. He raised his right arm to punch her, but she rolled out of the way quickly. Grabbing another senbon, Kin dodged Dosu's follow up attack, and then tried to stab him in the foot; her attack missed.

It was so weird seeing two teammates fight, Sakura thought to herself. Teammates knew your fighting style, your strengths and weaknesses. It would be difficult to fight your teammates.

Kin had somehow landed a few yards away from Dosu after dodging an attempted punch. Kin grabbed a few more senbon from her bag and launched them at Dosu. Instead of dodging them this time, Dosu used his metal arm to blow them away.

"Your bells won't be able to affect my hearing," Dosu said as he took a few steps forward. "But I know you can't say the same thing to me about my jutsu and your hearing."

In an instant, Dosu was in front of Kin. His metal arm was right next to Kin's right ear, and Sakura watched as Sasuke winced as Dosu used his sound wave attack again.

Sasuke knew how it felt to be attacked with that jutsu. Even after the medicine Sakura had made for him, his ears still weren't at a hundred percent.

Turning back to the match, Kin was now on her knees, and Dosu had moved his arm to the other ear. He wasn't going to-

The metal arm pushed out sound waves again and attacked her other ear this time. Sakura's eyes widened at the cruel gesture; surely, Dosu only needed to rupture one ear drum on his opponent to allow him to win?

But then again, Sound was a lot different than Konoha was. She was sure she could have done more damage to Kiba, or she bet even Neji could have done more damage to Yoroi, but that was not the way they learned to do things in the Leaf Village.

Sound ninja were much more cruel, and Sakura was hoping she wouldn't have to face one of them in the finals.

After Dosu's second attack, Kin had landed on the floor face first. Sakura had watched her eyes roll into the back of her head, and now there was blood streaming down both of her ears…

At this point, Sakura knew the sound genin could not be siblings. First of all, Dosu and Kin had different last names. They could have been siblings with different last names, but Dosu's final act told her that they were not related.

"That's enough!" Hayate called as Dosu kicked the back of Kin's head. The girl was already unconscious on the ground; why the hell did he need to do that? "The winner of this match is Dosu Kinuta."

Dosu's eyes held no remorse as he walked back toward the balcony without a word.

The medics were called into the room quickly, and Kin was being rapidly taken out of the room. Sakura frowned when she scanned the room. She wondered who the boys were going to have to face.

"We will now be getting on to the next battle," Hayate said as his eyes turned to Anko. Anko nodded and the characters appeared on the board once again.

Sakura sighed. Three matches had finished already, and there were still seven more to go. Gripping her ribs, Sakura knew she would need to go get her ribs checked out after the matches were over.

"Do you want to get them checked right now?" Kakashi-sensei asked as he sent her a questioning look. Sakura shook her head with a frown.

"There's no way I can miss either of their matches," Sakura said with a small pout. "They got to watch me."

"Promise me you'll head to the medic wing right after the preliminaries are over then," Kakashi said.

"I promise," Sakura said with a grin as she watched the letters on the screen stop.

_Rock Lee vs. Gaara Sabaku_

"It's finally my turn!" Lee let out a woot as he leapt off of the balcony and landed on the floor.

Sakura frowned at Lee-senpai's enthusiasm… she had a bad feeling about this match.

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><p>So there is chapter 21! What do you think so far? Were you surprised by the pairings? Who do you think Naruto and Sasuke will be paired against?<p> 


	22. Preliminary Matches 3

Hey all! It was weird not updating for a few days, but I kind of needed a break : ) I hope none of you were worried! I had decided to catch up on some reading instead!

This chapter is dedicated to InARealPickle! You my friend guessed one of the upcoming battle pairings! I'm not telling you which one is right, but you'll get to find out in this chapter! : ) Also, thanks for the support.

Fuchslady- I understand how you feel, but watching battles is going to give Sakura some new ideas for training! Plus, she has to know what she is going up against for the final part of the chuunin exams! It may seem like filler, but it's not, I promise : ) Plusss, I'm going to have some pretty intense battles, so there's that too ; )

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Preliminary Exams 3

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><p>Sakura's eyes focused on Lee who was standing in the center of the arena. He was waiting for Gaara to come down from his side of the balcony.<p>

"You can do it Lee!" Gai said with a large grin and his two-thumbs up pose.

"I'm excited," Lee said with a serious look on his face as Gaara appeared on the ground in front of him, "To fight someone as strong as you this early."

"Hn," Gaara said. His arms were crossed in front of him, and he looked completely bored. Gaara's eyes weren't even looking at him, they were scanning the balcony. When they landed on Sakura, he smirked darkly.

Lee turned to follow where Gaara's focus was on and froze when he saw it was on Sakura. It was obvious who he would have wanted to fight.

Sakura felt aquamarine eyes on her, and her back shivered at the look on Gaara's face. She hadn't really seen him since the incident in the library, but she was sure he had taken her book. Had he just been trying to mess with her, or had he taken the book for a specific reason?

Sakura felt Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun step closer to her, and glare down at Gaara. Gaara looked menacingly amused.

"Why is he looking at you Sakura-Chan?" Naruto asked with a frown.

"I'm not a hundred percent sure," Sakura said with a shrug. She had caught his interest when she had been able to sense him when no one else could, but she didn't know if that kind of interest warranted the look he was sending her. Plus, she hadn't told the boys about what had happened in the library… the two were already too over-protective.

"Hn," Sasuke said beside her. "I don't like it."

"Rock Lee," Hayate said while looking to each of them. "Gaara Sabaku. Are you ready?"

"Hn," Gaara said as his eyes focused on Lee.

"Of course!" Lee said with a frown. "I don't know why you were looking at Sakura-Chan, but I don't like it! Prepare to be defeated!"

"Please, do not get antsy," Lee grabbed a few particles of sand from out of the air and then stood in his stance. She had seen Lee-senpai's stance a lot over the course of the past few weeks. He stood straight up with his right arm up, palm facing inward, and his left arm behind his back.

"Let's begin then." Hayate said, and Sakura took a deep intake of breath. She was worried for Lee-senpai… she hadn't seen what Gaara could do, but seeing Hinata and Shino both freeze, she assumed they had. The look of worry and fear on Hinata's face was also not so comforting.

"He's got no chance against Gaara," Sakura heard from beside her, and she flinched at seeing Kankuro beside her. Of course she hadn't sensed him coming; she blamed her lack of awareness on her lack of chakra. Concentrating, Sakura made sure to focus more on the chakra that was around them.

"You're going to be surprised then!" Naruto said with a grin. "Lee may look weird, but he's actually really strong."

Leaping forward, Lee quickly appeared in front of Gaara. Swinging his leg out, Lee tried to kick Gaara. "Leaf Spinning Wind!"

Sand poured out of Gaara's gourd and Sakura was surprised when it blocked Lee's kick before trying to catch him.

"The sand," Sakura said with a frown. If she concentrated enough she could sense the chakra that was inside. "He's controlling it, but there's something else to it too."

"Smart," Kankuro said with a smirk, but no added explanation.

Sakura watched as the sand began to surround Lee. Quickly, Lee jumped backward before charging at Gaara again. Lee tried a punch this time, but it ended with the same result.

"He's not even moving an inch," Naruto-kun said in awe. "He's just standing there!"

"All physical attacks are useless against Gaara," Kankuro said. "Because regardless of Gaara's will the sand becomes a shield and protects him."

"Regardless of his will?" Sakura pondered out loud. She could sense chakra that was focused on the sand. If he wasn't the one focusing his chakra on the sand, then who was?

"Yes," Kankuro said his tone serious. "That is why no one has ever put a scratch on him… Lee's an idiot to only use taijutsu against him."

"Lee-senpai cannot use any ninjutsu or genjutsu," Sakura said looking thoughtful, "Though that would be the better strategy to use at this point."

"What?"

"Lee has almost no skill for ninjutsu and genjutsu," Gai-sensei said as he watched the battle unfold in front of him. The green clad sensei was close enough to hear them talking and contribute. "Lee actually had no talent at all before I met him… The only techniques he uses as a ninja are taijutsu. There aren't many ninja who can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu, but that's why Lee can win."

"Lee," Gai said while Lee leaped away from the sand that had been trying to attack him. Lee had back flipped to land on the large statue of the ram seal that was under the billboard. "Take them off!"

"But Gai-sensei!"

"It's alright Lee!" Gai said with a grin and a thumbs up. "Show them how strong you've become!"

Sakura knew instantly that Gai was talking about allowing Lee to take off his weights. Sakura had wondered many times how much his weights weighed. If she had any guess, she assumed they weighed a lot more than he actually did.

Lee nodded determinedly and he unwrapped the weights that had been under his leg warmers. Dropping them both to the ground, two large craters appeared from the impact.

"Holy mother!" Kankuro's eyes widened at the craters the weights had made. Sakura smiled to herself.

"Come on Lee-senpai," Sakura said quietly as she watched her senpai's grin.

"Go, Lee," Gai commanded, and that was all Lee needed to disappear from his position and appear behind Gaara. Lee's speed was so incredible that Sakura couldn't even catch his movements. If she trained with weights long enough, could she gain that type of speed?

Lee's fist moved quickly to try to hit Gaara in the face. When the sand blocked his punch, Lee followed it up with a kick. Sakura watched as little by little Lee's punches and kicks were breaking Gaara's sand barrier. This was the most worried she had seen Gaara look, and even though his expression hadn't changed much, it was still something.

"He's trained and concentrated on taijutsu so much that he is a taijutsu specialist," Gai sai with pride, "As you know firsthand Sakura-Chan. Lee won't lose to anyone."

It was in that moment that Lee flipped upward and sent a hard kick to Gaara's face. The foot connected with its target, and the whole arena seemed to freeze. Sakura heard Kankuro's intake of breath, and she realized this really must have been the first time someone had gotten a hit on Gaara… Were Gaara and Lee-senpai that powerful?

"Now we're just getting started!" Lee said with a grin as he landed a few yards away from Gaara.

Lee jumped at Gaara again, appearing behind him at first and then switching courses to appear in front of him. Lee sent Gaara flying a few feet backward with a punch to his face.

"Go Lee!" Naruto cheered from beside her and Kankuro. Kankuro's eyes were still wide as he looked onto the battle.

"This is bad," Kankuro said. Looking down at the battle, Sakura concentrated and noticed a shift change in chakra. Her eyes widened as she focused more.

"His chakra…"

"What Sakura-Chan?" Naruto asked with a frown as he looked to her. Sakura noticed Kankuro give her a grim look before nodding back to the battle. "His face is coming apart?"

Sand was pouring off of Gaara's face and his eyes had widened psychotically. The sand wall that had covered his skin and blocked out all of Lee's attacks, and Sakura had a bad feeling in her stomach.

"If he gets caught," Kankuro said eyes serious. "He'll be killed just for the fun of it."

"Gai-sensei," Sakura said as she turned to Gai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei. "I think you should stop this battle… Gaara's chakra has shifted, and I'm afraid for Lee-senpai."

"You noticed it too, huh, Sakura-Chan?" Gai-sensei said with a frown as he continued to watch the match. "I cannot interfere with Lee's match! This is his time to blossom into a great shinobi."

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura sent a pleading look toward her own sensei. Gaara was beginning to laugh and the sound of it sent shivers down her body.

"There's nothing I can do right now, Sakura-Chan," Kakashi said as he put a hand on her shoulder. "But I will jump in if I need to."

As she turned back toward the match, the grin on Gaara's face was that of bloodlust, and Sakura knew nothing good would come from this match. Even though it appeared Lee-senpai had been dominating the match previously, Gaara's chakra was on a whole other level now.

Actually, Gaara's chakra reminded her a lot of Naruto-kun's chakra when he was under the Kyuubi's influence.

Could he have a tailed beast? Sakura wondered to herself as she began to worry more. She had read a lot about the tailed beast since Naruto's confession, and she remembered that Suna held the Shukaku, or the one tailed beast.

If Gaara held the Shukaku, then Sakura knew Lee-senpai wouldn't have a chance.

"Why is the sand surrounding his body?" Sasuke asked with a frown as he got closer to the three.

"It's an armor of sand," Kankuro said, his eyes never leaving the arena. "It is a thin layer of protective sand that covers Gaara's entire body. It's different than his sand shield because it is Gaara's ultimate defense. Nothing can get through that."

"Hn," Sasuke responded with a smirk. "I'm sure something could."

"Is that all?" Gaara's voice cackled, and Sakura knew that he was egging Lee on. Lee began to unwrap the bandages on his arms before sprinting toward where Gaara stood. He then began running around Gaara quickly in a circle. "Come at me."

"As you wish!" Lee yelled as he sent a kick upward under Gaara's chin. Gaara went flying up into the air as Lee continued to kick him higher and higher. When the kicks stopped, Lee had wrapped the bandages around Gaara, and he began spinning Gaara's body quickly.

Sakura froze as she found Lee's eyes connecting with her own. "Please Lee-senpai," Sakura said quickly as she felt other eyes on her. Looking at Gaara, Sakura frowned when she realized his eyes were also on her.

"Initial Lotus!" Lee called as he spun Gaara into the ground and jumped back. The floor cracked under the amount of strength Lee had put into the attack. Feeling Gaara's charka flicker, Sakura knew that the battle was far from over.

"He's not there Lee!" Sakura called as she tried to pinpoint Gaara's chakra; the whole room held the oppressive aura of his chakra. "Keep moving!"

Lee listened to her words immediately, and barely missed a mound of sand that had been coming for him from behind. Lee cringed in pain, but had made it safely a few feet away from Gaara.

"When did he do that?" Naruto yelled as his eyes connected with the hollow sand shell of what everyone had thought was Gaara.

"When Lee looked over at Sakura," Sasuke commented with a frown.

Gaara sat in a crouch and sent sand mound after sand mound at Lee. Lee tried to move, but one mound of sand slammed into him, and it sent him hurtling backward.

"Why isn't he dodging?" Naruto asked as he held the railing tightly. His eyes held concern for his friend.

"He can't," Kakashi-sensei said. "That attack is normally a forbidden technique, because it puts a lot of stress on the legs and the body. Right now, Lee is feeling so much pain he can barely move, right Gai?"

"Lee will never be one to give up," Gai said with a soft smile as he watched Lee being sent flying by another attack of sand.

"Lee-senpai get out of there!" Sakura yelled as she watched sand begin to surround him from all directions. Within seconds, Sakura knew the sand would surround his body, and Sakura didn't want to think what would happen to him if that occurred.

A moment later, Lee had flipped backward and was now standing in the position he had originally started in. He looked less hurt, and Sakura couldn't understand his speedy recovery.

"The tables have turned now," Gai said as he continued to watch the battle. "The Lotus of the Leaf blooms twice."

"He's going to-"

"Gai," Kakashi-sensei sent Gai a worried look. "You didn't teach him that technique did you?"

"He had the ability," was Gai's lone answer, and Sakura felt like she was missing something.

"It's too dangerous," Kakashi continued. "I have no interest in making you tell me what that kid means to you, and the reasonings are your own, but there are limits."

"Don't give me that look Kakashi," Gai said with a glare.

"I would never teach my team something like that," Kakashi said as he sent the glare back. "It's irresponsible, and I would never want any of them to get hurt."

"What did he teach him, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked. She could see Lee's body healing in front of her, and she had to know exactly what it was that was causing Lee's sudden regeneration.

"The opening of the eight celestial gates," Gai said. "It's the removal of a limit that is done in preparation for going into the extreme lotus."

"In your inner coils," Kakashi said as he lifted his hiate and was looking at Lee with his sharingan, "your chakra flows through eight special spots, or gates. The initial gate, the heal gate, the life gate, the harm gate, the limit gate, the view gate, the wonder gate, and the death gate.

"The gates work together to limit the amount of chakra that flows in the body. The lotus forcibly releases these restraints using chakra… it allows you to release ten times more chakra than normal. But as you release the chakra, your body also destroys itself."

The eight gates had so much potential though, Sakura thought as her mind raced. Of course she didn't want to put strain on her body like Lee-senpai was currently doing… maybe there was another way to open or expand the limit of the gates?

Lee's arms were to his sides as Sakura felt the flow of chakra shift once more, this time it was for Lee instead of Gaara. Lee-senpai's chakra surged through his chakra points, and the air held a pressure of pure strength.

"He just opened the third gate!" Another shift of power was felt, and Sakura knew he was opening the fourth gate.

If Lee-senpai kept this up, there would be no doubt in her mind that he would break every bone in his body.

Lee's arms were clenched tightly as he screamed as strength coursed through his system. The strength and amount of concentration made veins appear on Lee's forehead, and his eyes grew white.

"He's bleeding," Sakura said with a frown as Lee leaped toward Gaara. Lee began to circle him again before licking him under the chin and sending him flying.

Lee's attacks quickened and Gaara was sent between kicks and punches as Lee circled him in the air. Wrapping his bandage around him again, Lee kicked him downward while the bandage unwrapped.

Pulling the bandage back upward, Gaara's body flew up with it as Sakura felt Lee focus charka in his arms and his legs. A punch that strong would definitely hurt…

"Extreme lotus!" Lee yelled in a voice that wasn't his own. His arm and leg slammed into Gaara's torso, and Gaara's body was sent tumbling into the ground.

As Gaara's body connected to the ground, the gourd on his back turned into sand and cushioned his fall. Lee landed a little ways away as his strength left him.

"Lee-senpai!" Sakura called as she watched sand begin to slowly creep up Lee's arm. Lee was stuck on the ground and couldn't move. His eyes closed softly as he lost consciousness. "He's no longer conscious the match is over!"

Sakura looked to Hayate-san quickly for him to intervene, but he wasn't quick enough.

"Desert Coffin," Gaara said as he squeezed his fist shut. Even unconscious, Lee let out a gurgled scream of pain as Gaara's sand crushed Lee's left arm. Sakura's eyes widened as more sand began to surround him.

It took only seconds for Gai to appear in front of Lee, effectively blocking the invading sand.

Gaara's eyes widened as he looked to Lee and then Gai. "Why… did you save him?"

"He's a precious comrade," Sakura found herself speaking before Gai could. Because Lee was special to Gai, and she knew that if Naruto-kun or Sasuke-kun had been in that situation, she would have tried to do the same thing.

Gaara looked from Gai to Sakura, before he turned and walked back to the balcony.

"Winner," Hayate said. "Gaara Sabaku. We need a medic!"

Gai kneel down next to Lee and squeezed his shoulder. "You're a good ninja, Lee."

Xxx Preliminary Exams 3 xxX

After Lee had been escorted out of the arena by the medics, Sakura found herself chilled to the bone. She knew that Gaara's eyes were on her, but she couldn't do anything about it. Kankuro had also gone back to his team and was standing beside them.

"I want it to be my turn next!" Naruto said with a grin. "There are plenty of tough opponents left, and I want to fight them all!"

"As long as you don't fight Sasuke-kun, Naruto-kun," Sakura said as she tried to ignore Gaara's gaze. "I want all three of us to be in the third part of the exams."

"Hn," Sasuke said with a nod of agreement. "You'll probably end up fighting someone like Ino, Dobe."

"Psh," Naruto said with a frown. "That wouldn't be much of a challenge."

"Don't be an ass, Naruto-kun," Sakura said before she could stop herself. "Ino-Pig is strong in her own way… I-"

"Let's continue on with the matches," Hayate said after a cough. His brown eyes had been focused on the sand genin. "Anko."

The characters on the board began to change in front of them again, and Sakura shook her head at the irony when the two names finally appeared:

_Naruto Uzumaki vs. Ino Yamanaka_

Sasuke let out an amused chuckle, and Sakura and Naruto both looked to Sasuke in surprise. "It's funny," Sasuke said in his defense, and Sakura smiled at the irony too.

"I'll beat that Dobe!" Ino yelled from across the balcony. "Forehead girl was able to win, and I will too!"

"Kick her ass, Naruto-kun," Sakura said with a nod. She had always had a rivalry with Ino, and even though she wasn't pining after Sasuke-kun anymore she still wanted Naruto to win. She wanted her teammates to show off how strong they were, and Sakura knew that beating Ino would give him the opportunity to do that.

Ino was a completely different fighter than Naruto was, and it would be interesting to see them fight against each other. She was a lot smarter with her actions, and Sakura assumed Ino's smarts had increased when she had been placed on Shikamaru-kun's team.

Naruto leaped down from the balcony much like Lee had done, but landed a little less gracefully than Lee had. Feeling someone bump her shoulder beside her, Sakura smiled when her eyes connected with Shikamaru's.

"This is going to be so troublesome," Shikamaru said with a frown as he gestured to the match below. "I'll never hear the end of it if she loses, and I'll never hear the end of it if she wins."

"Sounds like a lose-lose situation then, Shikamaru-kun," Sakura said with a smirk, because really, she found his situation to be rather amusing.

"I don't think I like the sarcasm in your tone, Sakura-Chan," Shikamaru said with an accusing look before shoving his hands in his pockets. "You know you'll never hear the end of it from Naruto either."

"He's got something to prove though," Sakura said with a shrug. "I think this match up will be interesting. Brawn vs. Brains."

"The Dobe's gonna win," Sasuke said as he scooted a little closer to Sakura. Sasuke shot a look to Shikamaru over her shoulder, but didn't say anything else.

"Well of course he is," Sakura said with a grin. "He's Naruto-kun."

"I'm gonna win this one for you Sakura-Chan!" Naruto yelled while waving back to Sakura. Sakura smiled.

"Be smart Naruto-kun!" Sakura yelled down with her own wave.

"You can be just as loud as both of them sometimes," Shikamaru complained with a sigh as Hayate started the match.

"It's my turn to bloom now," Ino said in determination as she grabbed a kunai from her pouch. "Watch me as I beat your teammate, Sakura!"

Spinning the kunai in her hand, Ino threw it toward Naruto before running at him. Naruto dodged the kunai easily, and then dodged Ino's punch that she threw. Jumping back quickly, Naruto quickly made a few shadow clones.

The clones easily surrounded Ino, and launched her into the air. Thinking quickly, Ino grabbed another kunai from her pouch, and turned toward one of the Naruto's.

"That won't work on me, Ino-Chan," Naruto said with a grin as he sent a punch forward. The punch connected with Ino's stomach, but she used the kunai quickly.

"It's not for you," Ino said as she cut her long hair. Sakura watched in awe as the long blond locks fell through the air.

Ino had always been someone who cared for her appearance, so seeing her with short hair was shocking. It was especially shocking because they had believed Sasuke-kun liked long hair; what was she doing?

Ino twisted out of the way of one of the clones, but not out of the way of the others. Naruto's two clones slammed their heels down hard on Ino's stomach; Sakura winced as she impacted with the ground.

"He's grown," Shikamaru said with a frown as he watched the battle. Sakura could only nod in agreement as she watched Naruto continue his assault. He was being smart, trying to catch Ino off guard and end the match quickly. Her jutsu was something that she knew he didn't want to face.

On the ground, Ino rolled slowly to her side as Naruto and his clones landed a few feet away from her.

"You're not as strong as Sakura-Chan," Naruto said with a grin as he looked to Sakura. "She's grown a lot!"

"_Sakura Sakura Sakura_," Ino muttered with a glare as she put her hands together in an "o" shape before looking at Naruto. "I'm sick of hearing all about her! Forehead has grown stronger, _but so have I_!"

"Ino don't!"

"Mind transfer jutsu," Ino yelled while looking to Naruto.

Naruto frowned before dodging the attack. Landing a few feet away, he looked confused. "What kind of attack was that?"

"It wasn't an attack," Ino said as she looked up with a grin. "It was a trap. I infused my chakra into the hair I cut so that I could trap you… you won't be able to move at all."

True to her word, Naruto tried to move his feet, but he noticed he couldn't. Looking to his clones for help, all three clones tried to pull his arms in different directions to make him move, but Naruto was frozen in his spot.

"Now," Ino said as she brought her hands back together into an "o". "Mind transfer jutsu."

Ino's body slumped to her knees, and Sakura could do nothing but watch the match unfold before her. "Naruto-kun!"

"Ha," Ino said inside of Naruto's body. "This'll be a piece of cake. Hey, proctor. I Naruto Uzumaki-"

"What?" Ino sounded scared as she stopped her previous sentence. "What is that… Naruto? OH MY KAMI! AHHHH!"

A sudden surge of dark chakra was felt through the arena, and it caused Sakura to shiver. The whole arena quieted down as Naruto fell to his knees, and Ino's mind was sent back to her body. Her blue eyes shone in fear, disgust, and unshed tears.

When she spoke, her voice cracked. "What are you?" Ino said. "You're a monster!"

Naruto looked down at her fear, and stayed on his knees. He seemed ashamed, and Sakura's heart clenched for her teammate in that moment.

"You're Naruto Uzumaki!" Sakura found herself saying before she could let the feeling fester; if it hurt her this much, she could only imagine what Naruto was going through. "You're one of the strongest genin I know, and you're my teammate!"

"Our teammate," Sasuke said with a nod. "And you're going to be the Hokage, Dobe."

Naruto lifted his eyes off of the ground and looked back to his teammates. It looked like there had been unshed tears in them. Tightening his fists, Naruto pushed the tears away.

"Damn right I'm going to be the Hokage," Naruto said while he stood. The clones he had made earlier had poofed out of existence when Ino had entered his mind. Bringing his hands together into the clone seal, Naruto made ten more. "And I won't lose to you, believe it!"

"That's our boy," Sakura said as she bumped Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke "hned" somewhat happily in agreement.

"I forfeit," Ino said while raising her hand. The clones Naruto made disappeared in a poof and Naruto looked somewhat disappointed.

"Winner of this match Naruto Uzumaki," Hayate said with a nod to Naruto. Naruto took a few steps and walked over to Ino who was still kneeled over. When he tried to offer her his hand, she flinched away. Naruto frowned as he watched her scramble away from him and up the opposite balcony.

"You won Dobe," Sasuke said as he and Sakura both appeared behind him. His hand was on Naruto's shoulder.

"I'm really proud of you Naruto-kun," Sakura said as she squeezed Naruto's hand tightly.

"… Yeah," Naruto said lamely has he turned and started to head back toward the balcony. Sakura took this time to follow him, her hand still in his.

"Naruto-kun," Sakura said quietly as she squeezed his hand once. "I know what Ino saw in your mind… that's not you, I promise."

"But it's a part of me, Sakura-Chan," Naruto said with a frown. "I'll always be a mon-"

"Don't be stupid Dobe," Sasuke said as he walked on the other side of Naruto, his hands were in his pockets. "You know we'd never think of you that way. You're our teammate, and we're stuck with you no matter what."

"Yeah," Sakura said as she squeezed his hand again. "Who else is going to help you become Hokage?"

The tears were back in Naruto's eyes and he looked to both teammates. "Do you really mean that?"

"Believe it," Sasuke said with a slight smirk.

* * *

><p>Sooo who do you think the next battle is going to be? I'd like to hear your ideas! If you're right I'll give you a shout out in the next chapter! Also, who do you think is going to be the one who get's to pass the exams without a fight?<p> 


	23. Preliminary Matches 4

I believe I am back in business! Thanks for all of your reviews and alerts and favorites! I love checking my email and seeing how many different things this story gets me!

I'm hoping to bust out the other matches quickly so we can get onto the month long training and get Sakura even stronger! I put up a new update schedule on my profile, and even though it seems ambitious I believe I can meet it!

Shout outs go out to UNCPanda (who guessed Tenten's match would be next), and to Chrissygirl139 for also guessing something correctly! And also to xbox432 who continues to review almost every chapter they read!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Preliminary Exams 4

* * *

><p>Sakura still held Naruto's hand tightly as they watched the screen go through characters again. She gave Sasuke-kun a glance who stood on the other side of Naruto.<p>

"Who would you want to fight?" Sakura asked curiously as she looked to the remaining people. There were: Kabuto, his teammate, Kankuro, Tenten, Shikamaru, Zaku, Temari, Shino, Choji, and Hinata.

"Hn," Sasuke said as his eyes skimmed the other genin. "Either Kabuto or Shikamaru."

After Naruto and Ino's match, Shikamaru had gone back over to his team to try and console the blonde girl. She was shaking slightly, and she refused to even look over at team seven.

"Why Shikamaru?" Sakura asked with a frown. She wanted to see Shikamaru in the finals; he was sure smart enough to become a chuunin.

"Because," Sasuke said with a shrug, "If he's as smart as you say he is then it'll prove to be a challenging match."

"He'd probably say you're too troublesome to fight," Sakura said with a grin.

"Do you think he'd forfeit right away?" Naruto asked with a smirk.

"It would be the logical strategy," Sasuke said with his own smirk as they looked to the characters on the board.

_Tenten vs. Kankuro Sabaku_

"Interesting," Sakura found herself saying as she leaned forward on the railing. She had found Tenten's weapons fascinating when she had seen them a few days earlier. She had always wondered what a weapon mistress would be able to do in battle.

"Hn," Neji said from behind them. Gai and Kakashi-sensei had stuck close together even after their little dispute about Lee's training. Sakura frowned thinking about him… his left arm had been crushed and she knew it had to break majority if not all of his bones in the arm. She was just glad he wasn't more hurt than that. Hopefully he'd be able to recover. "Tenten should win this one."

"We're not sure what that Sand ninja can do," Sakura said as she watched the two walk down to the stairs and to the center of the arena. Her mind went back to him causing Naruto to trip, and she turned to Kakashi-sensei.

"Is there a way someone can cause you to trip by going like this?" Sakura asked as she motioned with her hands. She remembered how Kankuro's hands had moved and mimicked the action easily.

"Hm," Kakashi said as his eye shone in interest. "I haven't seen a move like that in a long time. Why are you asking?"

"Kankuro motioned his hands like that when he caused Naruto-kun to trip," Sakura said with a frown. "He didn't make any hand signs, but I did sense him using chakra."

"They're chakra strings," Kakashi said as he looked at Kankuro. "And I'm assuming the thing on his back is a puppet."

"Puppet?" Naruto questioned with a grin. "I didn't know we'd get a puppet show during the exams!"

"Shush up Dobe," Sasuke said as he motioned to the match. "The match is about to start."

"Tenten," Hayate looked to both Tenten and Kankuro. "Kankuro, are you ready?"

"Yes," Tenten said as she nodded and reached for her kunai pouch. Kankuro sent her a lazy smirk and nodded.

"I've been waiting for my match all day," he said almost like he was complaining; his lazy manner seemed to put Tenten on edge if her shoulder's tightening were anything to go by.

"Then the sixth match for the preliminary exam shall begin!" Hayate said as he hid a cough.

Tenten was quick to react to Hayate's words, and she flew back in a neutral position two yards away. Tenten and Kankuro both stared at each other, seeming to size the other up for a good two minutes.

"This is boring," Naruto complained with a groan as Tenten and Kankuro both stared at each other.

"They're sizing each other up," Sakura said as she elbowed Naruto in the stomach. "And they're waiting for the other person to make the first move."

"But it is boring, Sakura-Chan," Naruto complained while rubbing his stomach lightly. "You've gotta admit it."

Sakura was surprised to see Tenten move then; she had assumed Kankuro would be the one to get antsy.

Back flipping, Tenten threw a few kunai and shuriken at Kankuro. She was gaging his reaction, Sakura knew, because that would be what she would probably have done. Kankuro barely moved, but the kunai and shuriken all missed their mark and fell to the ground in front of him.

"Tenten's aim is usually perfect," Neji muttered with a frown. Sakura looked on as Tenten threw more and more kunai out of frustration.

Instead of watching Tenten, Sakura switched her focus and placed her attention on Kankuro instead. She watched his fingers twitch, and Sakura knew that he was attaching chakra strings to the weapons Tenten had been throwing at him.

He had attached the strings to multiple weapons just before they hit him, and his chakra strings threw the weapons off course just before they hit him.

She could feel the frustration leaking out of Tenten, and Sakura watched as the girl produced a scroll from her bag. Unwrapping the scroll and leaping in the air above Kankuro, Tenten spun around in a circle as she slammed her hand against the different weapon characters among the scroll. The faster she spun, the more weapons shot toward Kankuro.

In what only felt like seconds, Tenten had fired over one hundred weapons at Kankuro, and Sakura assumed even if Kankuro was good, there would be no way he would be able to attach chakra strings to all of them.

She watched Kankuro's hand twitch again, but nothing seemed to happen as the projectiles connected with purpose on his body. Hearing the weapons connect, Tenten stopped spinning and gracefully landed to the ground, the scroll falling in a circle around her.

Kankuro's body fell to his knees senbon, kunai, and shurkien all sticking out of different parts of his body. Slamming her hand against a different kanji, Tenten produced a sword and Sakura felt an instant liking to Tenten.

Sure she had met her before, but she hadn't really gotten to know her. Tenten was amazingly efficient and effective with weapons, and that neither took chakra, nor ninjutsu; it was something even Sakura herself would be able to do given the right sparring partner… she'd have to talk to Tenten about it after the preliminaries concluded.

Tenten walked slowly over to Kankuro, her sword glistening as she went. When she was only about a foot away, Tenten pointed her sword below Kankuro's chin and spoke. "If you move," Tenten said. "I will slit your throat. Concede."

There was a mocking laughter as Kankuro looked up, and Tenten froze for a second. Sakura's eyes widened when she saw not Kankuro's face, but a wooden face instead. "And why would I concede?" Kankuro's voice asked.

Of course, Sakura thought in amazement, a puppet! He had somehow switched places with the puppet on his back during the last attack (or maybe before?). That meant that he was currently…

The bandages that had been on the puppet's back opened revealing the dark clothed Sand nin. Moving his fingers, Kankuro sent his puppet toward Tenten; it's long wooden arms wrapped around the girl snuggly, and Tenten dropped the sword she had been holding.

Kankuro looked smug as he walked forward and picked up the sword. If Sakura could concentrate hard enough, she could feel the chakra strings that Kankuro had attached to his puppet.

Lifting the sword up to Tenten's chin, Kankuro spoke. "Concede," Kankuro said with a mocking grin. "Or _I'll _be the one to slit _your_ throat."

Tenten struggled for a moment, but when she realized there was no way out of the position she was in, she relaxed her body and looked to the ground. Sakura could feel the embarrassment and the self-doubt Tenten was feeling as she spoke, "I… I give up."

"See," Kankuro said while directing his attention to where Sakura and her team stood. "Some Leaf Ninja know where their place should be."

"Shut the hell up!" Naruto roared as he glared down at Kankuro. Kankuro ignored Naruto as he looked to Hayate to await his decision.

"Tenten has given up," Hayate said. "Therefore Kankuro is the winner!"

Kankuro pulled his puppet off of Tenten with his chakra strings and leaned it on his shoulder; Tenten fell to the ground with a thud.

"That bastard!" Naruto said as he glared at Kankuro who walked up to his sensei, Temari, and Gaara.

"He's trying to get under your skin, Dobe," Sasuke said with a shake of his head. "He did it on purpose."

"Of course he did," Neji said with a shrug as he crossed his arms. "It's not that hard to; you're driven by your emotions."

"Better that than being an ice cube," Sasuke snorted as he crossed his arms. Sakura grinned at the picture the two made, because seriously, Sasuke-kun really shouldn't be calling other people ice cubes.

"Now we will get on with the next battle," Hayate said as the board began to run again. Tenten had barely made it to the stairs, but Sakura knew the other genin were probably getting impatient. Sakura counted the people who had yet to go: only 9 more left.

_Shino Aburame vs. Choji Akimichi_

"No way!" Choji yelled from across the balcony as he looked over to Shino. Sakura fought a grin as Choji shook slightly in fear.

Shino had always been quiet through the academy, but Sakura knew he was really smart. She also knew that he was from the Aburame clan, which meant he definitely had something up his sleeves thanks to his clan… literally, they were up his sleeves.

"I'll buy you barbeque after the preliminaries if you fight," Asuma said with a shrug as Shino had already started to walk down into the center of the arena.

Even from where Sakura was standing she could see the fire burn in Choji's eyes as he started to head toward the center of the arena. Sakura's eyes caught those of Ino's before Ino quickly turned away. Ino still couldn't look at Naruto.

"I'm going to have to talk with her," Sakura muttered to herself after she glanced to Naruto-kun. The blond had recovered rather quickly after his battle against Ino, but she knew he was still hurting on the inside. He was insecure about having the Kyuubi inside of him.

Sakura bit her lip as she watched Choji and Shino stand across from each other. Shino looked nonchalant as his hands were tucked in his pockets, and Choji had his fists clenched as he looked toward Shino in determination.

"I don't think I've ever seen him so motivated," Sakura said as she looked to Choji in surprise. She had remembered Choji from the academy and he hadn't been especially motivated to do anything, kind of like Shikamaru. The two were good friends, so Sakura hadn't been surprised about his lack of motivation.

"This will be the seventh match of the preliminary rounds," Hayate said with a nod to the two Konoha genin. Once again, two Konoha genin were fighting each other. Other than Dosu and Kin no teammates had fought each other; Sakura was rather happy with that. How hard would it be to fight your own teammate? Not so hard for Dosu, but for her it would have been excruciating.

"Choji Akimichi," Hayate said with a nod toward both of them respectively. "Shino Aburame, are you ready?"

"YES!" Choji yelled as his fists tightened. Shino was much more reserved with his affirmation, and he only gave Hayate a nod in response.

"Begin," Hayate said as he leaped back to observe the match from a distance. Choji had barely waited for Hayate to jump away before he brought his hands together in a ram seal. Choji's body flowed with chakra and soon his chest and stomach increased in size.

Choji looked like a giant inflated balloon as he used chakra to pull in his feet, arms, and head before his whole body started spinning. Sakura's eyes widened as she watched the Akimichi Clan technique for the first time…

Hearing Naruto snort beside her, Sakura shook her head.

"It looks like he's bowling for Shino," Naruto said with a grin as Choji rolled toward Shino only to have him jump away. Shino's hands had moved out of his pockets, and he placed one hand on the ground before flipping backward to get away from Choji again.

"Hn," Sasuke said with a snort as he seemed to agree.

"I'm not sure how effective his jutsu is right now," Sakura said with a frown as Choji ran into a wall. The Akimichi had only been chasing after Shino for a short while, and it seemed his aim with his jutsu wasn't as controlled as she would have liked it to be if she was the one using it. "Shino's too quick to be hit with that jutsu."

Landing a few feet away from Choji, Shino held out his arms as black bugs swarmed them. The bugs quickly flew to where Choji lay, and began to surround him. Sakura watched the black bugs and noticed a definite similarity between Shino's bugs and Gaara's sand. She'd have a talk with Shino later about a possible spar…

As the bugs began to surround Choji, his balloon like appearance popped, and he lay to the floor as he groaned. "I c-can't move!"

"It's because of Shino's bugs," Sakura hummed as she looked to Sasuke and Naruto who looked confused. "I think they're called Kikai bugs. The Aburame clan uses them to eat their opponent's chakra."

"Hn," Sasuke said with an eyebrow raise.

"Gross," Naruto said with a shiver as he watched the black bugs crawl over Choji's body. "That's really gross, Sakura-Chan! Bugs?"

"I won't tell you where he keeps them then," Kakashi-sensei chimed in as his cheeks turned upward. Sakura smothered her laugh as Hayate called the match.

"The winner of this match is Shino Aburame!"

"Good try Choji!" Asuma said as he gathered his student up in his arms and jumped back up to the balcony. Sakura knew that Choji wouldn't want to leave before Shikamaru's match, even if he was out of chakra and should have probably been taken to the medic wing to get looked at.

Hayate didn't even have to tell Anko to start the electronic board, because as Shino ascended the stairs, the characters began to flicker over the screen.

There were only a handful of shinobi left to fight. Who was going to be next?

_Temari Sabaku vs. Misumi Tsurugi_

"Finally my turn," Temari said as she started to head down the stairs. Misumi seemed to share her sentiment.

"I've been waiting long enough," he said as he walked down the stairs opposite to Temari. Sakura tried to figure out who seemed smugger, but she couldn't tell. "I won't get careless against you… especially since you are a girl. I actually doubt you'll give me a real challenge."

As a girl, his comment offended her, and even if Sakura was a leaf genin, she almost wanted Temari to win.

"Chauvinistic Pig," Temari said with a glare. "If you're so backwards, I'm sure you'll let me have the first move… that'll be your mistake."

"Alright," Hayate said as he coughed into his hand again. "Since you are both so eager to begin, the eighth battle in the preliminaries will begin now!"

"Go ahead, Princess," Misumi said with a mock bow. Sakura did frown at that and was internally cheering on Temari. Of course, she remembered Temari from their first encounter, and she didn't trust her; that didn't matter when a shinobi was insulting kunochi in general though.

"All I need is one move," Temari said with a grin as she grabbed her fan. "And I usually wouldn't want to end this too quickly, but you've pissed me off."

"How flattering," Misumi said as he started to run at her. "But you're taking too long!"

Temari dodged the punch Misumi threw at her, but froze. Sakura watched in fascination and disgust as Misumi's arm coiled around Temari's arm in a snake-like motion. In only moments, Misumi had his arms wrapped around Temari's neck and the rest of her body.

"I'm able to dislocate every one of my joints in my body to allow my body to soften," Misumi said as he tightened his grip around her. "Then I adjust my chakra and I can control this perfectly."

"Idiot," Temari gritted out before she quickly slammed her back on the ground. Misumi hadn't seen the attack coming, or the additional weight of the large fan on her back, and he quickly detangled his limbs from her's on impact.

Temari rolled out of the way, and released the fan on her back. With a flick of her fan, Temari sent Misumi flying backwards into the wall. The man stood up shakily with a glare sent toward Temari.

"Even your flimsy limbs won't be able to stop my attack," Temari said with a grin as she showed him her fan; it was beige with a purple moon. "Once you see three moons the match will be over for sure."

"You're over confident," Misumi remarked as he started running at her again. Temari flicked her wrist and sent a wind barrage at him again. Misumi dodged this time, and appeared behind her. Temari closed her fan and slammed the end of it against his stomach. The attack made Misumi wince, and he jumped away from her.

"One more," Temari said with a grin as her second moon appeared on her fan. Flicking her wrist once again, Temari sent a current of wind toward Misumi. Instead of dodging, Misumi lifted his arms above his head to protect his face.

"And now it's the third moon," Temari said as Misumi struggled to stand. "I hope you're ready to lose."

"Don't be preposter-"

"Wind scythe jutsu," Temari's voice sang as she sent a visible vortex of wind flying toward Misumi. Misumi could do nothing to dodge the attack, and was soon caught in the vortex of wind; his body being cut rather viciously by the wind.

"Wow," Naruto said as he watched the attack, slightly breathless. "That jutsu is awesome!"

"You have wind affinity like her, Dobe," Sasuke said as he continued to watch the match, even though they all knew it was over.

"So that means I could do cool stuff like that?" Naruto asked with awe in his voice.

"Only if you work hard enough," Kakashi-sensei said from behind them again. "And maybe we can focus a little on that during your training break."

"Hell yeah!" Naruto said before a loud crash brought them back to the match that was finishing up below them.

Temari had closed her fan, and the wind vortex had finally finished. Misumi's body had fallen quickly and landed on the bottom of Temari's fan.

"Winner of this match," Hayate said with a nod toward Temari. "Temari Sabaku!"

"Serves him right," Temari said in disgust as she flicked Misumi's unconscious body toward the wall. No one stopped her, and the body crashed into the wall with another loud noise.

"Medic team," Hayate called, and the team was quick to answer. Sakura felt a shiver fall down her back as the medics escorted Misumi out; how strong were the sand genin? All of them had passed the preliminaries with what seemed like ease, and it made Sakura worried about their strength.

"The second to last match," Hayate said, "Will now take place. Anko."

The characters moved quickly over the electronic board, and Sakura felt her whole body freeze when two names she knew very well appeared on the screen:

_Hinata Hyuga vs. Sasuke Uchiha._


	24. Preliminary Matches 5

Here's another chapter! : ) This chapter was surprisingly really easy to write, so I'll take that as a good sign! The mojo is flowing my wonderful readers! I think I'll start chapter 25 right after I post this ; )

This chapter is dedicated to TangoDeltaBrave (your review was reallllly long), StarKiss666 (who is just as excited for Shikamaru's match as I am), and Anya Ishikawa (who threatened to murder me if I made this into a HinataXSasuke fic lol).

Preliminary Exams 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

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><p>Sakura watched from the balcony as Sasuke confidently walked to the middle of the arena. Hinata was much slower, and it was obvious the poor girl wasn't as confident as Sasuke was.<p>

Hinata actually look scared to fight against Sasuke, and Sakura frowned. "She doesn't look very confident down there, does she?" Sakura asked Naruto as he leaned against the railing of the balcony.

"That because she will lose," Neji said with a snort. Neji's arms were crossed over his torso, and the volume of his voice carried down into the arena; Sakura knew that Hinata could hear his words. "She's a failure, a weakling… she should just give up now while she has the chance."

"Shut up!" Naruto said with a snarl at Neji. "Of course I want Sasuke-teme to win, but that doesn't mean that Hinata should just give up!"

"That's exactly what it should mean," Neji said with an air of confidence. "As much as I dislike the Uchiha, I dislike Hinata even more. She shouldn't even be a ninja."

"How can you say that?" Sakura asked with a glare. "Hinata may not be the strongest ninja here, but she was able to get through the academy."

"This will be as far as she goes," Neji said with confidence as he nodded to the match.

"This will be the ninth preliminary battle," Hayate said with a cough. The longer the matches went on, the paler Hayate looked. Sakura knew that he needed to rest soon, and she hoped the matches wouldn't take much longer. "Sasuke Uchiha and Hinata Hyuga, are you ready?"

"Hn," Sasuke said with a nod.

"Y-yes," Hinata said as she looked to the ground. Hinata couldn't even look at Sasuke, and Sakura's frown worsened.

"Begin."

Hinata took a step back and stood in a more tentative Hyuga fighting stance as she lifted her eyes to Sasuke. Hinata's body was shaking as she lifted her left hand.

"It is her fate that she will lose against him," Neji murmured as he took a step closer to the railing. "Give up Hinata. You will only hurt yourself going up against someone like Sasuke Uchiha."

Sakura couldn't hold in her anger when she saw Hinata's shoulders slump down, and her eyes look to the floor again.

"Ignore him, Hinata!" Sakura said while she looked down to the battle. "Everyone goes up against a tougher opponent sometimes; this could be your defining moment! Don't ever give up!"

Sakura watched Hinata's shoulders straighten slightly, and she looked back up to the balcony. Sakura nudged Naruto on the shoulder; she knew who Hinata needed support from.

"Yeah!" Naruto said with a grin. "Get in some good hits on the Teme! He needs to get his ass kicked every now and then!"

"I thought you were my teammates," Sasuke said with a slight glare as he got into a battle stance. Hinata's arm was still shaking slightly, but her eyes looked more determined.

"We are," Naruto called with a grin. "We just don't want it to be too easy for you! You need a challenge, and Hinata can give that to you!"

"Hn," Sasuke grunted as he reached into his kunai pouch. "Let's go then."

"Byakugan."

Sasuke started by launching a few kunai at Hinata. Sakura knew he was going easy on her; he hadn't even turned on his sharingan yet.

Hinata dodged the kunai and ran toward Sasuke. Throwing an open palm toward Sasuke, Sasuke dodged it easily by tilting his body to the side.

Sasuke brought his hand forward and slammed a fist against Hinata's cheek. Hinata went flying a few feet back before running at Sasuke again.

"She'll never win," Neji spat. "Why does she even try? She's too weak."

"Because everyone was weak at one point," Sakura said with a frown, because his words were playing against her insecurities.

Hinata's palms were flying faster at Sasuke, and Sakura felt a moment of pride well in her chest when Sasuke turned on his sharingan.

Shifting his hands together into the snake and then rat hand signs, Sakura watched Sasuke lay a genjutsu out to Hinata. Hinata brought her hands up quickly to dispel the genjutsu, and Sakura looked surprised.

"Genjutsu don't work against the Byakugan," Hinata said quietly as she took a deep breath and charged at Sasuke again. Sasuke flipped backward and did a new set of hand signs.

"Grand Fireball jutsu," Sasuke breathed as he let out a large fireball. Hinata tried to back pedal and jump out of the way, but the fireball grazed her back.

"Tsk," Neji said with a frown. "Too slow."

Sakura bit her lip as she watched Sasuke make a few clones. All clones flew toward Hinata and launched her into the air much like Lee had done to Gaara. Hinata tried to retaliate, but was only able to dismiss one clone. Sasuke dismissed the other clones as he appeared above her and slammed his leg down on her stomach.

Hinata's body slammed into the ground with a grunt, and Sakura sighed as Sasuke landed gracefully. She felt for Hinata, because it seemed like it came so easy for Sasuke-kun. Sakura knew that Sasuke-kun worked hard for a lot of his talent, though. A lot of it came easy, but he was a hard worker too.

Sakura held her breath as she watched Hinata struggle to stand. Blood was dripping out of her mouth, and Sakura didn't know if it had been caused by Sasuke-kun's kick or her connecting with the floor.

"I-I'm not done," Hinata said as she cast a glance to the balcony again. Sakura wasn't sure who Hinata was looking at: Neji or Naruto-kun. Hinata had a crush on her blond haired teammate, and Sakura wasn't sure if she fully supported the crush anymore or not…

Hinata stood on shaky legs as she got back into her battle stance. Sakura watched Sasuke frown, before he did another genjutsu. Hinata had a little more trouble dismissing this one, but once she finally had, Sasuke was already behind her.

Sasuke's hand hit the pressure point on the back of Hinata's neck, and she fell to the ground. Sasuke turned toward Hayate with an eyebrow raise, after it was quiet for a few moments.

"The winner of this match is Sasuke Uchiha!" Hayate said as he nodded to Sasuke.

"Yeah Sasuke-teme!" Naruto yelled with a wave of his hand. "Now we can fight in the final part of the exams against each other! Woo!"

"Shut up Dobe," Sasuke said with a shake of his head as he started to walk up the stairs.

"Way to go Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said as she gave Sasuke a smile. "Thanks for not going too easy on her."

"She's a ninja," Sasuke said with a shrug. "She could handle it."

Turning back to the arena, Sakura watched Kurenai pick Hinata up carefully before walking over to the medics that had come in the room. It could have been much worse, Sakura knew, because even though Sasuke hadn't gone easy on her, he still could have done a lot more damage.

"I told you she'd lose," Neji said as he looked to Naruto and Sakura. "She's not strong at all… her weakness could get her team killed if she went out on miss-"

"Shut up," Naruto said with a glare. "She did her best, and who are you to say otherwise?"

"Hn," Neji crossed his arms over his chest tightly and turned away. Sakura felt like Naruto's last sentence had somehow struck a nerve with Neji for some reason, though she wasn't sure why.

"Let's continue on with the final match," Hayate said once Hinata had been carried off to the medical wing. The characters on the screen began to flicker again, and Sakura bit her lip as she watched the names of the final two competitor's names appear:

_Shikamaru Nara vs. Zaku Abumi._

"Shikamaru's fighting _him," _Naruto said with a semi-snarl. Team seven still remembered Dosu's team and what they had tried to do to them in the forest. From the look on Shikamaru's face, Sakura knew that Shikamaru remembered too.

His brown eyes were staring across the balcony at her and his features were set in a look of determination. Shikamaru had been the one to stop Zaku before he hit her with the air pressure he was going to shoot at her all those days ago in the forest.

Zaku's arms were currently both wrapped in slings. His left arm was wrapped tightly against his body; that was the arm Sakura had dislocated with her kunai. She felt a little bit of pride well up in her stomach when she saw that.

That pride was crushed however, when she saw Zaku smirk while looking in her direction before looking back to Shikamaru. Shikamaru's brown eyes glared toward Zaku, and Sakura knew this was probably a tactic that Zaku was going to use to try to catch Shikamaru off guard.

Shikamaru wasn't going to be distracted by Zaku's smirk in her direction, though… hopefully he would be able to remain centered and defeat Zaku easily.

Standing next to Hayate, Shikamaru's stance was not one of lazy nonchalance like it usually was. His shoulders were tense, and his eyes were still glaring.

"This will be the last battle for the preliminaries," Hayate said as he looked to both Shikamaru and Zaku. "Since you both look ready, let's begin!"

"Come on Shikamaru!" Naruto yelled once the battle began, and Sakura watched as Shikamaru got into a crouch before taking a few steps backwards. "Kick that Sound Ninja's ass!"

"You guys seem hostile toward this team," Kakashi said with a knowing look on his face. It was in this moment that Sakura realized they had forgotten to tell Kakashi-sensei the exact reason why they disliked the team from Sound… About their connection with Orochimaru.

"You already know they attacked us in the forest," Sakura said as she watched Zaku test his arms. He grimaced when he tried to move the left one Sakura had dislocated. "Well… we forgot to tell you that _he _was the one who ordered the attack."

"Wait, you mean-"

"Hn," Sasuke said with a frown. "Sakura told us about what Dosu said… I was supposed to be incapacitated at the time."

"Well I'm glad to see you're not," Kakashi said quietly as he rubbed the back of his head. "I can't believe you guys forgot to tell me something this important."

"It didn't see like as big of a deal at the time, sensei," Sakura said as she cast Dosu a look. Dosu's sensei had long dark hair, and even though Sakura couldn't sense his chakra, she knew that it held a scary aura. Was he somehow involved with Orochimaru, too? He had to be. "Telling Hokage-sama about Orochimaru seemed to be your top priority."

"Orochimaru?" Gai spout with a concerned look toward team seven. Kakashi shook his head before nodding to the match below.

"We'll have team seven update Hokage-sama after the match," Kakashi said as his cheeks turned downward, "For now, cheer on your comrade."

"Come on Shikamaru-kun!" Sakura called with a wave as she looked down to the arena floor. Shikamaru's hands were moved together in his thinking pose, and Zaku held out the right one toward Shikamaru. "Move!"

The blast from the air pressure knocked Shikamaru backwards and caused the whole arena to fill with wind. Even with the broken arm Naruto had given him, it seemed Zaku was still able to use his air pressure holes.

Shikamaru landed around the many indents in the floor that had been caused by Lee's battle against Gaara… Sakura just hoped Lee was alright.

Shikamaru struggled to stand as he brought his hands together again. Even if Zaku would be able to perform his jutsu again, Shikamaru had seen it before, and Sakura knew he would be able to figure out a way to cancel it out. On the flip side, Zaku had seen Shikamaru's jutsu before. She knew the Sound ninja knew what to expect when dealing with Shikamaru… the good thing about Shikamaru-kun though, was his ability to adapt and come up with new strategies easily.

Shikamaru brought his hands together to form his Shadow imitation technique. Zaku quickly brought his right hand up to shoot air pressure back at Shikamaru, but Shikamaru dropped his jutsu and made a substitution.

"Not this stupid jutsu again," Zaku snarled as he turned around to find Shikamaru standing behind him. Shikamaru shot a kunai at Zaku, and Zaku dodged the kunai by jumping backward. "It didn't work for your little girlfriend, so it won't work for you either."

Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun sent Sakura a meaningful glance, while she bit her lip to keep from yelling out in anger, because her substitution jutsu had in fact worked… She had completely ignored the fact that Zaku had called her Shikamaru's girlfriend.

"If I remember correctly," Shikamaru said with a smirk. "Sakura-Chan was the one to dislocate your arm because of that jutsu… That sounds like it worked to me."

"Shut up!" Zaku yelled as he tried to lift his left arm away from his chest. He flinched and immediately set it back down before lifting his right arm again. Shikamaru and Zaku were only a foot or so away. "You're pissing me off!"

Zaku tried to blast Shikamaru with air pressure, but Shikamaru was faster. He brought his hands together just as Zaku's arm was a few inches away from his face. Because of the distance, Shikamaru's shadow latched onto Zaku's quickly. In only two seconds, Shikamaru's jutsu had connected, and just as Zaku was about to unleash the air pressure in his hand, Shikamaru switched his right hand to his own temple.

Zaku had to mimic Shikamaru's action, and before Zaku knew what happened, he was shooting his own head with air pressure. Shikamaru dropped his shadow imitation jutsu as Zaku flew sideways, landing harshly against the floor.

After a few moments, it was obvious Zaku wasn't going to be getting up anytime soon. Hayate looked to Shikamaru, whose shoulders had relaxed considerably. "Winner of the final match: Shikamaru Nara!"

"Yay Shikamaru!" Naruto yelled with a fist pump. "Way to go!"

"Way to go Shikamaru-kun!" Sakura yelled excitedly as she shared Naruto's enthusiasm.

"Girlfriend?" Kakashi-sensei's voice questioned Sakura curiously with a hint of sternness. "When did that happen, Sakura-Chan?"

"Hn," Sasuke agreed as he crossed his arms over his chest. Sakura's cheeks burned red at the accusation… Kami she would never live this down.

Xxx Preliminary Exam 5 xxX

All eleven genin stood in front of the Hokage. Sakura had forgotten that Kabuto had gotten what felt like a free pass into the final part of the exams… It didn't seem fair, but one person got to be the lucky one out of them.

"Now that the preliminary exams are over, and you have all passed," Hayate said while scanning the eleven. "Congratulation to you all."

Sakura's eyes widened as she took in a breath. "There are only two teams who have their whole teams competing in the finals," Sakura said as she nudged Naruto who stood next to her. "Us and the sand team."

"That's because we're super strong, Sakura-Chan," Naruto said with a grin. She looked to Sasuke-kun and he shrugged with a smirk as if to agree with Naruto-kun's statement.

"Now," Hayate said as he motioned for the Hokage to step forward, "Hokage-sama, would you please do the honors?"

"Of course," the Hokage said with a nod. "I would like to explain the final part of the chuunin exams to you all.

"All eleven of you will be fighting to represent how strong your countries are," the Hokage continued as he looked up and down the line of genin. "I'd like you to show off all your powers with no reservations… this is why the finals will be held in one month."

"Huh?" Naruto asked in confusion. "We're not going to be fighting right now?"

"No," the Hokage said with a shake of his head. "We will need this break for preparation for the exams."

"Wait… What does that mean?" Neji questioned.

"In addition to informing all of the important Daimyos, Kages, and other influential people in the Sand, Sound, and Leaf Villages, and giving them time to arrive in Konoha, we also want to give you time to prepare before the exams. We want you to get to know your enemy and yourself better before the exams."

"It's the time period where you will calculate your chances of winning," the Hokage continue with a puff of his pipe. "You should have been analyzing and recording data of your possible opponents during the previous battles… The battles up until now were in actual combat situation, but now you know who you will be fighting."

"To make everything fair, the one month should be used by all of you to advance and improve yourselves as much as you can," Hiruzen said. "But it will also give you a chance to rest your wounds. Now, to make it even fairer we'll be drawing numbers from the box in Anko's hands.

"As Anko walks around I'll explain a few things," the Hokage said as Anko walked in front of each genin and allowed them to grab a piece of paper. "Because there is an uneven amount of you, I've decided that the two who get numbers 11 and 10 will fight before the winner of that match will then immediately face the person who gets number 9."

"But that's not fair!" Naruto said with a frown. "Whoever number 9 is will be given a better chance at winning."

"What if you're number 9, Naruto-kun?" Sakura asked with a smile. "This will happen sometime when we become chuunin and take missions; just because we're tired doesn't mean we'll be able to ask the other ninja to stop fighting us. If we want to be chuunin we have to push ourselves."

"I know that Sakura-Chan," Naruto said with a frown as the two grabbed their numbers. Sakura frowned when she looked down to her number… of course.

"Alright you all took a piece of paper," the Hokage said shushing Naruto quickly. "Now we'd like you to tell us the number on that paper in order, starting from the left."

"It's 6," Dosu said while his eyes scanned the line of possible opponents.

"1," Kabuto said while pushing his glasses back. At least he wasn't getting an easy pass for the second time through.

"8," Shino said as he looked back at the Hokage. So no one had been paired up yet…

"4," Neji said with a frown as he kept his hands at his sides.

"5," Naruto said with a bit of determination.

"11," Sakura said with a frown as she looked to her number. Of course she had to have a pre-battle before getting into the finals.

"3," Sasuke said with a smirk as he eyed Neji.

"10," Shikamaru said as his shoulders shrugged. Sakura held her breath; she'd have to fight Shikamaru?

"7," Temari said while she flicked her paper to the ground with little effort.

"2," Kankuro said as he shouldered the puppet on his back slightly.

"9," Gaara said. Sakura watched for Gaara's reaction, and it seemed he was the only one who didn't like the idea of having to wait for his match. Sakura felt eyes on her then, and she didn't know if it was from Sasuke-kun, Naruto-kun, Shikamaru-kun, or Gaara…

"Now here are the battles," the Hokage said while motioning to Ibiki. "Look closely."

Kabuto and Kankuro were the first match, then came Sasuke against Neji. The third match was Naruto against Dosu, and the fourth match was Temari versus Shino. The fifth match was her against Shikamaru, and the sixth match would be the winner of the fifth match (either her or Shikamaru) against Gaara…. Oh, the world so wasn't fair.

"You're then free to start strategizing or resting if you like," the Hokage said with a nod. "With this, I'll dismiss you all. Good luck and I hope you all grow stronger in this month."

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><p>Well tell me what you think? Which battle are you most excited for in the finals?... And please don't hate me for putting Shikamaru against Sakura! I mean well... I promise!<p> 


	25. A Month of Training 1

I love seeing all of your ideas and thoughts for the upcoming chapters : ) the only two who know really what is going to happen is Art-Chan and me : ) (and sometimes we don't even have a clue until I write it lol).

Shout outs go out to: our same world, TangoDeltaBravo (because that review was ridiculously long…), and AnimeXHarem, though I am appreciative to everyone for their reviews and support!

Now on with the training chapters! Yahoooo!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

A Month of Training 1

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><p>Team seven arrived home with their shoulders hung low from exhaustion. They had just reported to the Hokage about everything that had happened in the forest, and the full weight of it had hit them all pretty hard.<p>

"I want ramen for dinner, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto sang as he practically skipped through the living room. Sasuke and Sakura's eyebrows twitched, before Sakura shook her head. Majority of the team was feeling the full weight of what happened in the forest, then.

"Ramen isn't healthy for you," Sakura said with a frown as she followed Naruto to the kitchen. "You can eat ramen sometimes, but you also need to eat vegetables, fruits, and proteins to help strengthen and build muscles."

"Yeah Dobe," Sasuke said with a snort. "Your muscles are looking a little wimpy…"

"Don't even start Sasuke-teme!" Naruto yelled as he launched at Sasuke. Sakura watched the two tumble to the ground and begin wrestling.

"Have you thought about what you want to focus your training on?" Kakashi-sensei asked as he opened the fridge and brought out some fish. Sakura thought about it as she put a kettle of water on the stove to boil.

"Focus?" Sakura mimicked Kakashi with a frown. "I still kind of want to try a bunch of different things… I feel like I'll be better rounded if I did it that way. Going up against Shikamaru-kun, I know I won't be able to out strategize him, but maybe I should learn several different things that could surprise him… Short ranged attacks won't work well on him; his battle against Zaku showed that… maybe I should focus on genjutsu and water jutsu? I still want to learn more than that though… those two would be the best strategy to work with against Shikamaru-kun."

"Yes," Kakashi said with a nod. "Though we should also work on your strategizing, taijutsu, and kenjutsu. When you told the Hokage about what happened in the forest of death, I didn't know you had been able to use your dagger so easily. I'll talk to a few kenjutsu teachers who could possibly train you."

"I think I'm going to get Kotetsu and Hayate-san to train me," Sakura grinned as she took the boiling water off the stove. Grabbing four tea cups, Sakura was able to maneuver around the two boys fighting on the ground, and headed toward the dining room. "Hayate-san said to come and see him when I finished practicing the katas he had taught me. And I'm pretty sure Kotetsu won't say no."

"They are the ones who got you your tanto," Kakashi confirmed as his cheeks turned upward in a smirk. "I can recognize the shape of it as one he and Izumo use."

"He said not to tell anyone, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said motioning to Sasuke and Naruto who had stopped wrestling, and were now looking at Sakura with wide eyes.

"Wait!" Naruto accused pointing a finger at her. "The proctor of the last exam gave you your new sword?! That's not fair! I want a sword now too!"

"I agree with the Dobe," Sasuke said as he crossed his arms and pouted in his Uchiha way. Sakura couldn't believe the two before her. "Why did he give you a sword?"

"Hayate-san gave me some basic kenjutsu training," Sakura said with a shrug. "I'm sure he'd be willing to train with you too, Sasuke-kun. Kotetsu said he wasn't very good at teaching people things, but I'm sure he'd be willing to train with me now."

"But I need a sword too!" Naruto whined with a frown as he stood from the floor. "You guys get all the cool weapons."

"I don't know if a sword would really be your thing, Naruto," Kakashi said as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"But that sand girl had a weapon!" Naruto said. "And she's a wind user just like me."

"You only know that because Sakura pointed it out," Sasuke said with a tsk as he walked to the fridge. He grabbed four tomatoes before throwing them each to a teammate. Once everyone had one, he took a bite of his own.

"That doesn't matter Teme," Naruto said as he frowned at his tomato. Naruto still wasn't a big fan of anything other than ramen, but Sakura thought they were doing a better job at forcing him to eat healthier things.

"She used a weapon to enhance her chakra affinity," Sakura said with a nod. "Does that mean you want to carry around a large fan like she does, Naruto-kun?"

"Hell yeah!" Naruto let out excitedly.

"We should probably stick to small fans at first…" Kakashi said with a frown. "Or maybe no fans at all… There are other ways wind users use their weapons, Naruto-kun. We'll discuss it more at training tomorrow."

Xxx A Month of Training 1 xxX

Sakura was on her way to the Nara Compound the next day. It was still pretty early, but Kakashi had told her that Shikaku had wanted to see her early the next morning. She wasn't complaining though. She doubted Shikamaru would be awake for a game of go, but maybe she could ask Shikaku-san if he wanted t a match against her?

Sakura continued her walk as she tried to list the people she'd want to train with and learn from over the course of the month. Kakashi, Hayate, Kotetsu, and Gai. Oooh, she wanted to train with Shino, and Tenten, and Kiba too. And then again there was Lee-senpai and Hinata, as long as Lee was feeling better. There was so much she wanted to learn from everyone. That wasn't even counting all the scrolls she wanted to read and learn from in the library.

She'd have to think about it more after she was done talking to Shikaku-san. Even though she was going to be facing his son in the exams, Sakura was hoping he'd be able to help her a bit.

Seeing the compound in the distance, Sakura continued to muse to herself. She would have to ask Kakashi-sensei if there were other people that could possibly train her…

Hearing a sound in the distance, Sakura scanned the area and was surprised to find someone she knew. Instead of walking to the head house like she had planned, she followed the chakra signature and found a panting Shikamaru-kun instead.

"Shikamaru-kun?" Sakura questioned as she walked into the clearing.

"Saku- Sakura-Chan," Shikamaru said slightly breathless. "What are you doing here?"

"Your dad asked me to stop by this morning," Sakura said with a smile. "I didn't actually think you'd be up and training already. Want to play a game of Go when you're finished?"

"I can't," Shikamaru said with a frown. "I just started training a little while ago, and won't be done for a while yet."

"A break then?"

"I'm not going to be taking one of those either," Shikamaru said with a shake of his head as he started to head back to the middle of the clearing.

"You're avoiding me," Sakura accused with a frown; it was the only reason she could think of. "I know we're going to be paired against each other in the finals, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't-"

"No, I'm not," Shikamaru said in determination. He turned and looked at Sakura and Sakura held her breath at the look on his face. "I'm going to focus on training so I can beat you Sakura-Chan… I don't want you going up against Gaara… you saw what that guy did to Lee. And you're too stubborn to give up, so I'm training so I can beat you."

"You want to beat me to-"

"Protect you," Shikamaru said with a nod as he turned. "Once I win against our match, I will forfeit against Gaara. That guy isn't on our level at all."

"Shikamaru-kun," Sakura said as she took in a deep breath. "While I appreciate your concern I-"

"I'll be the one to win the battle against us," Shikamaru said as he motioned toward the clan house. "You should go see my dad… I'll see you later Sakura-Chan."

That conversation had been… unexpected. Sakura had assumed that she and Shikamaru's match would have been 'troublesome' for him. She hadn't thought Shikamaru would be so set and determined to win. Well, that would force her to be more serious about training then; she had a lot to prove if she wanted to beat a determined Nara.

Shikaku's house was just as she remembered it as she continued her short trek up the dirt path. She came to the front door to knock, because she didn't feel any chakra signatures in the backyard.

"Good morning Sakura-Chan," Yoshino greeted her with a warm smile and tugged the girl into the house. Sakura bowed slightly in greeting, and took off her shoes before following the Nara matriarch into the house hold.

"Good morning Yoshino-san," Sakura said as she followed Yoshino to the basement steps. She could feel Shikaku's chakra down in the basement, and knew that he was probably working on different properties of poisons or medicines. "You seem rather cheerful today."

"That I am, Sakura-Chan," Yoshino agreed pleasantly. "My lazy son decided to wake up early and train for a change. I don't know what's gotten into him, but he's been out there for a few hours already."

"It's only eight," Sakura said in surprise as the two women started heading down the stairs.

"Exactly my point," she said as the two heard a chuckle.

"She's been trying to inspire Shikamaru to train more," Shikaku said once he came into view. "We've decided we should blame you… I heard he's your opponent."

"He is," Sakura said as she fought a frown. She didn't know what to think about Shikamaru in this moment… she'd have to think about it later. "I hope that means you'll still work with me on developing the poisons we talked about, and maybe play a few games of go, if you're up for it."

"Whatever girl can get Shikamaru up before sunrise," Shikaku said with a grin, "Definitely deserves my time of day. Kakashi said you had an idea on where we can find some of the plant names."

"Well," Sakura said with a tilt of her head. "You're not going to believe this, but I'm pretty sure I saw two of them in the Shinobi for Dobes book my teammate carries around…"

Xxx A Month of Training 1 xxX

To say Sakura was surprised to know Shikaku actually had the book in his library was an understatement. But then again, he had a lot of books in his clan's library. Sakura was more than excited that he had told her she would get a chance to explore the library later… he had actually invited her back tomorrow for another game of Go.

Now, though, she was in search for Kotetsu and Izumo. She wanted to see if either of them would be willing to train with her. She'd look for Hayate too, but she knew that there was a better chance of Izumo and Koetsu being together.

Heading to the Hokage tower, Sakura walked down the street of the market. Her eyes scanned the various stands until she found the merchant who had sold her her previous dagger.

"Good morning Ojii-san," Sakura greeted the older man with a smile. "How have sales been lately?"

"Hello kunochi-san," the merchant greeted her with a smile. "It seems like you have been getting much stronger since we have last seen each other!"

"You're being kind Ojii-san," Sakura said as her eyes scanned the table of wares. The old merchant had quite a few different items on his table, and Sakura was able to find several things she was interested in. "How much for all of this stuff?"

"900 Yen," the older man said with a smile. Sakura's eyes widened before she smiled back.

"That price is way too low for all that I am asking for," Sakura said as she looked to the many items she held.

"Your parents were very good to me, young Haruno-Chan," the merchant said with a sad smile. "I'm simply returning the favor."

"Thank you Ojii-san," Sakura said as she grabbed the items she had wanted. There had been several blank sealing scrolls, a bag full of senbon, another pack of kunai, and a weird looking three pronged kunai that she knew Naruto-kun would love. She had remembered Naruto-kun whining about not having a "fancy" weapon like she and Sasuke-kun had. She hoped that giving him something to use would make him feel a little more comfortable.

Naruto-kun wasn't made for big swords, or big weapons; he was an in your face, short ranged type fighter. She didn't think a sword would suit him, or his fighting style. Sasuke-kun was practically made for a sword, however. He had long graceful movements, and she knew the sword was the best weapon choice for him.

Continuing her trek to the Hokage tower, Sakura's kunai pouch felt heavy and happy against her thigh. She had used up many of the kunai she had bought from the merchant previously when she had been in the forest of death. She'd have to buy more of them later to stock up, but at the moment she was happy.

Seeing the Hokage tower come into view, Sakura scanned the tower and was pleased to find the two people she had been looking for. Their chakras were different (Izumo's held a watery edge, and Kotetsu's a lighter, warm chakra), but each of their chakras seemed to reflect a part of the other person's chakra. Sakura assumed that was because Izumo and Kotetsu spent so much time together.

Walking up the stairs, Sakura greeted both Izumo and Kotetsu with a smile as they stood outside the Hokage's door.

"Hey Kotetsu, Izumo," Sakura nodded her head in greeting to the two.

"Sakura-Chan!" Kotetsu said with a grin and a wave. "It's so good to see you! Izumo and my life have been pretty boring since the preliminaries ended…"

"That was only yesterday you idiot," Izumo said with a shake of his head.

"Yeah," Kotetsu said with a fake pout. "But now we're stuck hanging outside the Hokage's door. There are even anbu members lurking around here; why do we have to stand guard?"

"It's all for show," Sakura said with a shrug, because she didn't really know the answer.

"What are you doing here, Sakura-Chan?" Kotetsu asked with a slight grin as he motioned to he and Izumo. "Were ya looking for us?"

"I was actually," Sakura said with a smile. "I figured you two would be easier to find than Hayate-san. I was hoping you'd be willing to train me in kenjutsu, and whatever else you'd be willing to teach me."

"I thought we talked about this already Sakura-Chan," Kotetsu said with a boyish grin. "I don't think-"

"We'd love to," Izumo said as he elbowed Kotetsu in the stomach. "Even if Kotetsu is an idiot sometimes, he's still very good with kenjutsu; he and Hayate would be good teachers in that area. What else were you hoping to learn?"

"Medical jutsu, water justu, meditation," Sakura said as she started to list things off on her fingers. "Taijutsu, genjutsu, battle tactics, poisons… as much as I can learn, really."

"I happen to have a water affinity," Izumo said as he brought a finger to his chin. "I'd be willing to teach you a jutsu if you're interested. I could also allow you into the chuunin section of the library if you're looking to study a few of the things you listed on your own."

"But you wouldn't let us go into the jounin section that one time," Kotetsu accused with a pout. Sakura had to shake her head at the man's ridiculous response.

"I'd love to," Sakura said as she bowed her head. "When are you both free?"

"Our days are free usually around 9 until 2," Izumo said while he also ignored his pouting friend. "Hokage-sama had our schedule mixed up for today, which is why we're here even though it's lunch."

"My stomach feels it," Kotetsu said with a frown.

"You're ridiculous," Sakura said as she fought a grin. "So tomorrow around 10 would work for you?"

"Yes," Izumo said. "I'll make sure Kotetsu shows up, and I'll even invite Hayate."

"That'd be great," Sakura said. "I didn't know where to start looking for him."

"He's probably on a date with Yugao-Chan," Kotetsu said as he sighed dramatically. "That woman has Hayate wrapped around her little finger."

"Maybe he could bring her as well," Izumo said with a shrug. "She is also very good with kenjutsu, and a sensor type. I'm sure she'd be able to help Sakura expand more of her sensing abilities."

"Really?" Sakura asked.

"She's busy a lot," Kotetsu said with a frown. "But we'll be sure to stop over and ask them after we're done with our shift here."

"Thanks you guys," Sakura grinned before waving and leaving. She couldn't believe her luck! Izumo had agreed to teach her water jutsu, Kotetsu and Hayate-san were going to help her with kenjutsu, and a woman named Yugao was going to help her with sensing chakra.

Heading back down the Hokage tower stairs, Sakura decided it was high time for her to go back to the library. She had read a lot of the scrolls and books that had been there, but she knew there was still more to learn. Maybe she could go to a section of the library she wasn't familiar with? She was sure that would give her something new to learn about.


	26. A Month of Training 2

Here comes chapter 26! I hope you're all as excited as I am! I'm a fan of this fic, along with you all, and I can't wait to see Sakura blossom into an awesome shinobi : ) because that's my plan anyways.

This chapter is dedicated to mmss1122 because I really appreciated your review : ) I did not find it critical at all, and really appreciated your comment that I write them better than Kishimoto-san did (*blushes*). I think I write them how everyone/most people want to see them : )

Oh, and happy birthday to Sakura-Chan! : )

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

A Month Long Training 2

* * *

><p>Sakura's stomach protested loudly as she left the library. She had decided to skip lunch in favor of researching different types of scrolls and books that she had found interesting in the library. Now, though, her stomach was mad at her. She knew she'd have to run home to grab something to eat before she went to the training fields with Kakashi-sensei, Naruto-kun, and Sasuke-kun.<p>

Walking back through the market, Sakura's mind went to her boys and how it had only been a little over a month of them working so well together. Kami, time went by quickly; June was turning to July, and soon enough it would be August.

Wait, Sakura thought with a frown, Sasuke-kun's birthday was in July. Searching her mind for the date (because of course she memorized it when she was a fangirl), Sakura realized Sasuke-kun's birthday would be in a little under a week.

What was she going to get him, Sakura wondered. She knew plenty of things Sasuke-kun liked… hmm, a few different things came into mind actually, but she'd have to talk to Naruto-kun and Kakashi-sensei about it later.

Sakura arrived at the home she shared with the boys quickly. Finding the fridge stocked with some leftover fish from the previous night, Sakura grabbed it before also grabbing a kettle to boil some tea. She could sense Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun's chakra; she figured both males would be joining her in the kitchen shortly.

"Hn," Sasuke said while walking into the room. He nodded his head in greeting as he grabbed an empty tea cup. Going into the tea cabinet, Sakura grabbed him his favorite mint teabag. "Hey Sakura."

"Hey Sasuke-kun," Sakura said with a grin as she grabbed some orange hibiscus tea for herself. "What have you been up to today?"

"The Dobe and I were looking up different ninjutsu scrolls that deal with chakra affinity," Sasuke said while he accepted the offered bag of mint tea. Sakura took the kettle off of the stove just as it was about to boil.

"Find anything interesting?" Sakura questioned as she poured the warm water into their tea cups.

"Not particularly," Sasuke said with a shrug. "I'm hoping Kakashi-sensei will be able to teach us a few things this afternoon."

"Have you figured out who else you want to train you?" Sakura asked while taking a sip of tea. "I talked to Kotetsu and Izumo early today. They both agreed to help me with kenjutsu."

"Hn," Sasuke said with a frown. "I was going to ask Kakashi-sensei about possibly training with Anko… She used to be Orochimaru's apprentice, and I feel like she would know the most about him."

"I don't like this idea," Sakura said with a frown. "Whenever you say his name… it just makes me nervous and I worry. Why was he after you Sasuke-kun? And why did he… why did he order people to kill my parents?"

"I don't know," Sasuke said as his hand that gripped the mug tightened. "But he was after me, and now is interested in you and Naruto; I don't want to take any chances. I want to be as strong as I can be, and I know that Anko teaching me would be a good thing."

"I guess that could be true," Sakura said with a small shrug. "The idea of him though… it just makes me sick to my stomach."

"Eat lunch, Sakura," Sasuke said with a nod to the fresh fish that was still out. "We'll head to the training grounds after you're done. The Dobe decided we were going to take a trip to the bathhouses once we're done with training."

"That sounds nice, actually," Sakura said as she tried to relax her shoulders. Rolling them twice, Sakura sighed as she took a drink of her tea. "Naruto-kun came up with that idea all by himself?"

"Well… Kakashi-sensei suggested it," Sasuke replied with a smirk. "But Naruto's going to say he did."

"That's because I did, Teme!" Naruto said as he ran into the kitchen. "I thought we all deserved to have one relaxing night before we really get into this training!"

"That's a good idea," Sakura agreed. "I know Kakashi-sensei is going to want us to train separately a lot… it makes sense, because we're likely to fight each other at some point in the exams."

"I don't think he wants to play favorites either," Sasuke mused with another sip of his tea. "But we're all different chakra affinities so it wouldn't be fair to teach us all at the same time."

"He'll probably explain our training regimen tonight," Sakura said as she finished the last bit of tea. Turning to the fresh fish, Sakura gobbled up a few pieces before putting the rest back in the fridge. "Did you find anything interesting in the ninjutsu scrolls you were looking through, Naruto-kun?"

"Well yeah, Sakura-Chan!" Naruto said as he grabbed a scroll from his pocket. It still surprised her to find Naruto-kun carrying any reading materials what so ever. "In this scroll it talks about combination ninjutsu! Like one person uses one nature and it mixes with someone using another nature chakra."

Sasuke snorted from his spot. "How is that going to be beneficial to these exams, Dobe?"

"They're not going to be," Naruto said with a frown. "But I thought it'd be cool if we could mix all of our nature chakras together to make something awesome!"

"We'll have to see," Sakura said with a grin. "But like Sasuke-kun said, we need to focus on ourselves right now. Plus, we don't even really know any ninjutsu."

"Well yeah…" Naruto said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. "I figured we could learn it after the exams!"

"Keep the scroll then," Sakura said as she put her tea cup in the sink. Washing her hands, Sakura patted them dry using her shorts. Feeling her hand bump into her kunai bag, Sakura remembered the present she had gotten Naruto.

"I got you something Naruto-kun," Sakura said as she dug through her kunai pouch. Fishing out the three pronged kunai, Sakura handed it to Naruto with a grin. "I know it's not a sword or anything, but I figured you'd like something flashy like this… It kind of screamed you actually."

"Thanks Sakura-Chan!" Naruto said as he hugged her tightly before grabbing the kunai. His blue eyes sparkled as he felt it in his hands. "It's kind of heavy!"

"Maybe you'll be able to use it with your wind affinity?" Sakura questioned as she started to head to the door. Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun were already following behind her. "I don't know how, but I'm sure Kakashi-sensei would."

"I'll ask him," Naruto said with a nod as he put the kunai in his kunai pouch. Leaving the house, Sakura was the first out the door and quickly headed down the dirt pathway and to the training grounds.

"What do you think we're going to learn today?" Sakura asked curiously as she felt Naruto and Sasuke catch up to her.

"Beats me," Naruto said with a grin. "But whatever it is, we'll be really good at it I bet!"

"Hn," Sasuke said with a frown. "Don't jinx us Dobe."

Xxx A Month Long Training 2 xxX

All three of them were panting heavily as they lay on the ground. Sakura's hand was resting on her head, and she looked to the darkening sky.

"Really good at it, huh?" Sasuke questioned with a glare. "You really are a dobe, Dobe."

"I don't wanna hear it Teme," Naruto replied slightly breathless.

"Well if we train like that every day," Sakura mused as she tried to lift her arms. "I don't know how I'm going to move in the morning…"

"Using shadow clones like that…" Sasuke said with a shake of his head. "Who knew you could gain that much experience?"

"And we only used one clone, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said as she slowly started to sit up. She winced when she felt some strain the training had caused on her body. "The only reason Naruto-kun is able to do more is because of his excessive stamina… it's actually a little obnoxious and unfair."

"Hn," Sasuke said with a nod of agreement. The group of three slowly started to sit up, each of them wincing as they did so. "Bathhouse?"

"Definitely," Sakura said as she tried to roll her shoulders. The group of three started to walk down the dirt path; Kakashi-sensei had left them a while ago.

"That's not fair guys," Naruto said with a frown. "It's not my fault I have this much chakra."

"It's not a bad thing, Naruto-kun," Sakura said as the two walked through the village. "I would say it's definitely an advantage to have the amount of stamina you do."

"Yeah," Naruto said with a slight smile. "I guess it is."

The three continued their walk to the bath houses in companionable silence. Sakura knew Naruto-kun must have been really tired, because he usually wasn't quiet for long. Even when they had been running through the forest of death, Naruto had always kept a constant chatter going on.

Arriving at the bathhouse, Sakura was quick to ditch her teammates in favor of the warm water. She entered the female side of the bath house and wrapped a large fluffy towel around her body. Seeing the bathhouse pretty full, Sakura leaned against a rock toward the edge and stuck her legs in the water.

Today had been long, but she felt accomplished. She had told Kakashi-sensei about her training with Hayate, Kotetsu and Izumo, and he seemed supportive. He had actually seemed supportive of Sasuke-kun's idea of working with Anko too. Sasuke-kun would have to ask her himself though, because Kakashi had said he wouldn't. There was a hint of fear in Kakashi's eyes as he had said this, and Sakura found it a little amusing that Anko even scared her sensei. The only one that needed another sensei to teach him was Naruto-kun, and Sakura's mind tried to search through different possible people that could teach him.

Hearing a quiet giggle, Sakura's eye brow rose before she closed her eyes and concentrated. There was a large concentration of chakra just outside the fence of the bathhouse… Was there a person peeking in on the women here?

Sakura stood quickly from her spot, before leaping over the fence and landing behind the giggling man.

"Are you watching women bathe?" Sakura questioned with a frown as she wrapped the towel around herself tighter. She really should have gotten her clothes on first, but she had wanted to catch the man red handed.

The man in front of her had long silver hair with a red vest, and an olive green shirt and pant combo underneath. Hearing her words, the male quickly turned to her and Sakura caught a sign of his forehead protector: the kanji for oil.

"Shh!" He said with a finger pressed to his lips. "You need to keep quiet… what are you going to do if I get caught?"

"Well I probably wouldn't do anything," Sakura said with a shrug and a grimace; her body still hurt from training. "You'd probably get in trouble though. Who are you anyway?"

"I'm glad you asked!" The silver haired male said with a grin, and in a dramatic puff of smoke a toad appeared under his body. Sakura's eyebrow rose; this guy had a flare for the dramatic, just like Naruto-kun. Her eyes widened at the thought. "Mt. Myobokugama's holy master Sannin, also known as the toad Sannin! Remember it!"

"That's not a name," Sakura said with a frown as she slightly flared her chakra. She was hoping Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun wouldn't be too tired to feel it. She had a feeling she'd need them within the next few moments. "Though I have looked into Sannin recently… You must be Jiraiya-san."

"You know of me!" Jiraiya sounded absolutely giddy. "But of course you-"

"Who the hell is this, Sakura-Chan?" Naruto yelled a she pointed an accusing finger at Jiraiya. The boys had shorts on. When he looked to Sakura, his cheeks blushed a deep red, before glaring at Jiraiya. "And she's in a towel! You're a pervert!"

At the mention of her in a towel, Sasuke-kun's eyes looked to her before his own cheeks dusted red and he quickly turned away.

"Hn," Sasuke agreed with Naruto as he set Jiraiya with a glare of his own. His arms crossed over his chest, and even for a twelve year old, Sakura was sure he would have looked menacing, if his cheeks weren't still red.

"Hey hey," Jiraiya said while holding up his hands. "I wasn't trying to peek on her or anything… I'm a writer! And I was researching things for my novel!"

"I don't even want to know what it has in it," Sakura said with a frown. Was the male in front of them really a Sannin? He sure didn't act like one.

With another dramatic poof, Jiraiya dismissed his toad, and grabbed a book from his pouch. Sakura's frown worsened when she recognized the book. "I write these!"

"That's the book Kakashi-sensei reads," Sasuke said with a bored tone. A looking of understanding flashed through his eyes before he pulled his lip up in disgust.

"We're going to burn them all when we get home," Sakura said. "They've got to be perverted books…"

"Then you're a pervert!" Naruto accused with a glare. "And why were you saying you were 'researching' when all you were doing was peeping in on the women in the bathhouses!"

"Hey," Jiraiya yelled back at Naruto with his own glare. "You're a fool! I'm not a pervert… Peeping gives me better inspiration to write."

"That's a lame excuse," Sasuke accused as he turned away from Jiraiya.

"Yeah," Naruto said with a frown as he turned away. "You're probably not even a strong shinobi… let's not waste our time on him here."

Sakura giggled slightly at the look of despair on Jiraiya's face… it seemed he didn't like to have his abilities questioned. Sakura kept her mouth shut as Jiraiya shot her a helpless look.

"But she heard about me!" Jiraiya said as he pointed to her. "You know how strong I am, right?"

"That's only because I've been researching Sannin recently," Sakura said with a slight shrug as she looked away. "Ever since we met Orochimaru in the forest of death…"

"Wait," Jiraiya's face grew serious as he took a step toward team seven. "Your team was the ones who met Orochimaru?"

"Yeah," Sakura said with a frown and a nod. "Though we probably shouldn't be talking about this in public… Hokage-sama said it was only on a need to know basis."

Jiraiya crossed his arms over his chest before leaning against the fence of the bathhouse. "Go get dressed," Jiraiya said with a nod toward the dressing room. "We'll take this conversation somewhere else."

"Who said we'd go with you anywhere, Pervert?" Naruto said with a glare. "We were trying to relax after some training."

"Training?" Jiraiya questioned with an eyebrow raise. "I'll offer you some training if you agree to meet with me."

"Huh," Sakura said with a look to the boys. The boys both looked interested, and to say Sakura wasn't interested too would be a lie. She nodded toward Jiraiya before heading toward the changing rooms. "I think we could do that… we'll take you back to my place so Kakashi-sensei can be there too."

"Kakashi?" Jiraiya said with an amused shake of his head. "Of course you'd be Kakashi's genin."

Xxx A Month Long Training 2 xxX

The group of five sat in the living room, tea in everyone's hands. Sakura had just finished relaying what had happened to them in the forest of death against Orochimaru, and Jiraiya was currently looking thoughtful.

"Well I guess I'll help train you brats," Jiraiya said while shooting Kakashi a look, "If that's alright with your sensei of course."

Kakashi nodded his head. "We start training as a team a little bit after lunch," Kakashi said as his cheeks lifted upward. "I think it would be good to have them learn from you."

"But he's a pervert," Naruto commented with a frown. "And he was trying to peek on Sakura-Chan in the bathhouse!"

"He was what?" Kakashi had a deadly aura around him as he glared at the older male. Jiraiya stood from his seat as he backed a few feet away.

"Not on Sakura-Chan," Jiraiya said as he raised his hands in a defensive position. "How else do you think I get research on my books, my boy?"

Kakashi's expression stayed the same as he looked to Sakura. "You're not allowed to research using that bathhouse anymore," Kakashi said with a tone of finality.

"Fine fine," Jiraiya said with a wave. "I'm not a pedophile or anything, so I'll stick to the older women."

"Hn," Sasuke and Naruto crossed their arms and glared.

"You better, Ero-Sannin," Naruto said as he took a step in front of Sakura. "We don't want you peeking on Sakura-Chan!"

"She's twelve…" Jiraiya said bluntly. "I'm not really into little girls Naruto. If you ready my novels, you'll be able to see that."

"Oh no they're not," Sakura said as her cheeks blushed at the thought. "You're not corrupting Naruto-kun or Sasuke-kun… weren't we going to burn sensei's books anyways?"

"We actually were," Sasuke said with a smirk as they looked at Kakashi who had stood up and was taking a defensive position near the stairs. There must have been a flight or fight sensation going through his body, because he looked a little bit like a caged animal.

"Not my precious books," Kakashi said with a frown and a small whine. Sakura couldn't help the laugh escape her at the expression on her sensei's face. She doubted they'd be able to take his books anyways, but the fact that he was afraid amused her greatly.

The offended look on Jiraiya's face increased her laugh, because the males in front of her were just ridiculous.


	27. A Month of Training 3

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't been able to update as much as I wanted to : / I've been super sick lately, and have taken some time off to hopefully heal up and free better rested. I'm hopeful I can update a lot more frequently than I have been in the past week.

Shout out goes to VesperChan who happens to be one of my favorite fanfiction writers! I cannot believe you like this story : ) it gives me chills (good ones)! And 413 reviews! You guys ROCK!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 27: A Month of Training 3

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><p>Sakura sat across the breakfast table from Shikaku. She had just made an interesting move on the Go board and was now waiting for his response. She was currently using a strategy she normally didn't to see if she could get better results than she had previously gotten.<p>

"That was a curious move, Sakura-Chan," Shikaku spoke mildly while he grabbed one of his pieces to move to try and block her.

Sakura's eyes went to the board and she moved her next piece easily to prevent him from blocking her in.

"I figured I needed to try something unexpected against you," Sakura said with a shrug. "This is our tenth game against each other already and I haven't been getting anywhere with my previous strategy."

"A smart move," Shikaku remarked with a slight hum.

"Thank you," Sakura said with a smile as she watched Shikaku move his next piece. "How is the analysis coming along with the venus fly trap plant from Amegakure?"

"Not as well as I had hoped," Shikaku said with a small frown. "We still can't find any information on what type of plant it is… our tests have resulted in knowing it's toxic, of course, but we're not sure where it attacks. It either focuses on the respiratory system or the circulatory system."

"So it either attacks the lungs, or other organs?" Sakura questioned with a frown. "Wouldn't there be more poison focused in the area that has been most affected?"

"The poison appears to disintegrate once it reaches the affected area," Shikaku muttered.

"I wish I still had the book I had found in the tower," Sakura said wistfully as she moved her piece. "I'm sure it would have been more helpful than trying the poison on something and then guessing what it affects."

"Yes," Shikaku agreed as he moved another piece. Sakura was quick to stop his intentions; she refused to allow her pieces to be surrounded. "I remember you mentioned that you had misplaced the book before getting a chance to really read it. I went to the tower, and unfortunately was also unable to find it."

She had not mentioned to anyone about her encounter with Gaara… she didn't want to worry any of her teammates and she still wasn't sure if he had taken the book or not. What would have been his motivation, Sakura wondered.

"Can you find another copy of it somewhere?" Sakura asked as she looked to the board.

She could see no possible moves for herself and would be forfeiting her next turn. She may not be winning this game, but she had come up with a new possible strategy, and it was something she could work on.

"Possibly," Shikaku mused as he looked to the board. He moved one of his pieces to a new spot and Sakura's mind flew through different ways to defend against his possible attack. "I'll talk to Hokage-sama about it."

After a few moments of silence, Sakura brought up another thing that had been plaguing her mind lately. "How is Shikamaru-kun's training going?" Sakura found herself wondering as she grabbed a new stone. Shikaku's last move had created a few possible options for her, and even one opening. She was hesitant to move her piece where she wanted to put it, because she figured Shikaku had used a false opening… hmmm.

"Curious are you?" Shikaku asked with light amusement in his eyes.

"Yes," Sakura admitted before she could stop herself. Her thoughts had gone to Shikamaru a lot over the past few days. Every time she had walked to the Nara compound she had felt his chakra signature in one of the clearings. She always made sure to see him at least once before she left the compound in the morning.

"He's been training a lot," Shikaku said while he placed down a piece in a place that made her frown. He was trying to trap her again. "He seems to be pretty determined to beat you, Sakura-Chan."

"I am too," Sakura said as she set her mouth in a grim line and her brow furrowed. "Shikamaru-kun is sweet to want to protect me, but I don't need his protection."

"You'll find that my son is kind of old fashioned in that sense," Shikaku remarked with a smirk and a shake of his head.

"Who did he learn that from, I wonder," Sakura said as she looked at Shikaku with a raised eyebrow.

"Not me, surely," Shikaku drawled with an innocent expression, and Sakura found herself laughing.

"Well it's not me," Yoshino chirped from the kitchen as she continued to cook lunch.

"I'm not sure who to believe," Sakura said feeling rather amused as she looked down to the board. "I don't think I can do anything right now… I forfeit my turn."

"Hm," Shikaku said while his eyes scanned the board. "I will also agree that this game is over. However, if you had placed your seventh stone in this spot, it would have ended differently."

"You're right," Sakura said with a sigh as she scanned the board. She had never beat Shikaku, but every game was a learning experience. She knew she was learning something different every game.

"Will you be joining us for lunch, Sakura-Chan?" Yoshino asked while she continued to cut some vegetables.

"I'm going to have to decline, I'm sorry," Sakura said with a slight bow of her head. "I'm supposed to meet Izumo and Kotetsu for training in twenty minutes."

"You're training as much as Shikamaru," Yoshino complained from the kitchen as she turned to look at Sakura with a large knife in her hand. Sakura's eyes widened when she started to talk with her hands while still holding the knife; the woman looked more than threatening and she didn't even know it. "You need to make sure you take it easy at some point! I'm sure your sensei isn't going to be helping you when you're dead tired!"

"Which sensei?" Shikaku mused with a slight grin. "Sakura-Chan has quite a few senseis, isn't that right, Sakura-Chan?"

"Yep," Sakura said with a grin as she stood. "I want to learn as much as I can. Well thank you again for everything. I will see you tomorrow for out next match?"

"I actually have a meeting with the Hokage," Shikaku said with a sigh. "Though I'm sure I can convince Shikamaru to take a morning off of training to play a match against you."

Sakura's eyes showed her surprise, and Shikaku let out an amused snort. "He's missed playing against you," Shikaku said with a shrug. "I'm sure he can take off just one morning of training."

"I'd be appreciative," Sakura said as she smiled. "It would be nice talking to him again."

"Mou," Yoshino said with a wave of her knife. "Get going Sakura-Chan! You don't want to keep Izumo and Kotetsu waiting!"

"You're scary as hell waving that knife around woman," Sakura heard Shikaku mutter as she exited the house. Sakura fought a smile as she heard what sounded like a slap, and then a grunt of protest.

Shikaku and Yoshino were a funny pair, and Sakura was more than happy to be in their acquaintance. The past few mornings she had been coming over to play Go against Shikaku, and she had slowly developed a bond with the pair.

As Sakura walked out the Nara compound her mind went to the training she was about to receive from Izumo and Kotetsu.

Kotetsu was starting to teach her more complicated katas, and he was also trying to get her more comfortable using different types of weapons. She had wielded his mace once, and Sakura had felt that one time was more than enough for her.

Izumo was working on teaching her how to use a water jutsu he had actually created. The starch syrup capturing field jutsu was something that she could really benefit from learning. She hadn't been able to create the field in the large area like she would have wanted to, but she was working on it. The jutsu was a C-rank jutsu, so Sakura was feeling more confident in her abilities the more she worked on it.

Finding herself nearing the bridge, Sakura grinned when she patted her kunai pouch, which felt a little heavier than normal. She knew that today was Kotetsu's birthday; the male hadn't stopped talking about it since she had started training with him. He had actually been doing a really good job teaching her the past few days, and Sakura thought the least she could do was get him a present.

Skipping to the bridge, Sakura was greeted with the sight of Izumo leaning against the red bridge.

"Izmuo!" Sakura greeted with a wave. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing well Sakura, how are you?" Izumo said with a nod.

"I'm good," Sakura said as she walked up beside him. She had learned that Izumo didn't like to be touched and didn't like germs at all… she knew she was going to get him a pair of doctor gloves for his birthday. "Where's the birthday boy?"

"He said he'll show up later," Izumo said with a shrug. "But I'm not sure. He wanted to go to the bars all day today, but he promised me he'd be here."

"Should we get started then?" Sakura questioned as she looked down the path Kotetsu usually came. She couldn't see any one.

"Yeah," Izumo said with a nod as he took a few steps toward the koi pond. "You know the drill: do the hand signs for the jutsu fifty times before using your chakra."

"Hai sensei!" Sakura called as she started to do hand signs. The jutsu hand signs were fairly easy: ram and then tiger.

Letting her hands flow through the hand signs, Sakura quickly was able to go through the hand signs fifty times. Concentrating, Sakura closed her eyes before she did the hand signs one more time. Focusing her chakra to her throat like Izumo suggested, Sakura purged that chakra with force as she shot it out of her mouth.

Opening her eyes, Sakura's eyes widened when she watched her projected water syrup jutsu land on a brunette in front of her that hadn't been there before.

"…Happy Birthday?" Sakura wished slightly sheepishly as the water syrup covered Kotetsu from his feet to his hair. Kotetsu was only about five feet in front of her, and Sakura was happy that she had been able to spew the jutsu that far.

"Sakura-Chan," Kotetsu whined with a frown as she tried to shrug out of the sticky water that he was surrounded in. Sakura was slightly amused to find that he was stuck in it; Izumo's jutsu really worked.

"You shouldn't have tried to sneak up on her like that," Izumo commented mildly as he stood next to the bridge, out of harm's way.

"I was just trying to surprise her," Kotetsu whined again. "It's my birthday after all."

"I did get you a present," Sakura said hoping to make the older chuunin feel better.

"You did?" Kotetsu's eyes widened and sparkled immediately. "Izumo! Get me out of here so I can hug Sakura-Chan for getting me something! What is it Sakura-Chan?"

"Well, Izumo said you really liked syrup," Sakura said with a shrug as she got out a bottle of syrup from her pouch. "So I got you some weird passion fruit syrup from the market."

"YOU'RE MY FAVORITE GENIN EVER!"

Xxx A Month of Training 3 xxX

Sakura sighed slightly as she walked back to her house. She was sticky from the water syrup jutsu she had been working on, and also from the thank you hug she had received from Kotetsu. He had really been surprised she had gotten him something; he shouldn't have been though, because he had gotten her a present for no reason.

Her hand brushed against her tanto sword, and Sakura smiled at the thought. She really was thankful she had gotten a new weapon, and that it had been one Hayate, Kotetsu, and Izumo had all gotten her.

Arriving at her house, Sakura quickly headed to her bedroom before shrugging off her clothes. She would have to do laundry at some point, Sakura mused while she looked to the pile of dirty clothes in her basket. Showering the sticky water goo off of her, Sakura walked to her closet to grab some clean clothes before putting them on.

She was going to have to visit Lee-senpai again soon Sakura mused to herself as she started to put on a fresh pair of black shorts. Grabbing a white shirt with a Naruto swirl on it, Sakura quickly put new weights on before stretching her arms.

She had been getting used to the previous weights she had been wearing and had moved up two pounds. She figured she'd be able to do this every week, if she felt comfortable enough.

Heading out of her room, Sakura scanned her chakra and noticed none of her teammates were there. Running downstairs, Sakura quickly grabbed a protein bar before heading back out the front door. She was supposed to be meeting Kakashi-sensei, Jiraiya-san, and Naruto-kun at the training grounds; Sasuke-kun was training with Anko.

Sasuke-kun had gone up to talk to Anko about training the other day, and the purple hair kunochi had looked positively gleeful at the idea of working with Sasuke-kun. It wasn't a pedophilic type of glee; more like a scary I can't believe you're asking me to kick your ass type of glee. It was kind of scary either way, but Sasuke-kun seemed to be learning a lot from Anko. If Sakura ever found extra time, she had half a mind to ask Anko to train her.

Sakura's mind wandered to Naruto-kun and the training he had been getting from Jiraiya-san. Naruto had been working on trying to control his chakra more, and it seemed that Jiraiya-san had been even trying to get Naruto to try to use the Kyuubi's chakra. Sakura thought Naruto would be almost unstoppable if he would be able to borrow the chakra from the Kyuubi.

Sakura's thoughts halted when she realized she had arrived at the training ground. Kakashi-sensei was already there leaning against a tree; Naruto-kun and Jiraiya-san were not there yet.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei," Sakura greeted with a grin and a wave. "How was training with Sasuke-kun earlier?"

"It went well, Sakura-Chan," Kakashi said. "I left him in Anko's capable hands… I don't know if I should feel good about that or not."

"I was thinking about asking Anko to train with me too," Sakura said with a shake of her head. "Sasuke-kun said she's been teaching him a lot of different trapping skills that sound useful."

"I could teach you about traps, Sakura-Chan," Kakashi offered with a shrug. "We don't always have to work on water jutsu."

"I was hoping we could work on genjutsu today," Sakura said with a smile.

"You'll be working with Jiraiya tonight," Kakashi said as Jiraiya and Naruto finally made it to the training grounds. Naruto looked exhausted, but Sakura was more than happy to see her teammate.

Naruto grinned when he saw her, but when he noticed the shirt she was wearing, Naruto's grin widened. "I knew you'd like that shirt, Sakura-Chan," Naruto said as his eyes shone in appreciation. "You shouldn't have to wear Teme's old vest all the time."

"Sasuke-kun's vest is comfy," Sakura responded with a shrug. "But it's dirty. I'm going to have to do laundry tonight before I train with Hayate-sensei."

"Mou," Naruto said with a small pout. After thinking for a second, Naruto's pout turned into a grin. "But at least we get to train together, huh, Sakura-Chan?"

"Hush up boy," Jiraiya said with a shake of his head. "You'll get to work with Kakashi and I'll work with Sakura-Chan tonight."

"Maa," Naruto said with a frown. "I don't want you working with Sakura-Chan Pervy Sage."

"Shut up Runt," Jiraiya said as he slapped the back of Naruto's head. "I'm not going to do anything to Sakura-Chan."

"Well why can't we train together then?" Naruto asked with a pout.

"Because Jiraiya is going to be working with Sakura-Chan on something," Kakashi said with a sigh, "And I'm going to work with you on something. Really Naruto, it makes total sense."

"What?" Naruto looked confused and slightly offended that they weren't working together.

"We're going to go over the basics of fuinjutsu, my boy," Jiraiya said with a shrug. "You still need to work more on chakra control before you can learn fuinjutsu."

"Fuinjutsu?" Naruto questioned with a frown.

"Fuinjutsu focuses on sealing techniques," Sakura piped up as she looked to Naruto. "Fuinjustu isn't usually taught to genin, right Jiraiya-san?"

"Yep," Jiraiya said with a grin.

"You have really good chakra control Sakura-Chan," Kakashi said with a shrug. "Chakra control is needed for fuinjutsu. I figured it might be something new for you to learn, too, since you're all about learning new things."

"Thanks," Sakura said with a grin. "I guess I'd like to learn fuinjutsu."

"Great," Kakashi said as he motioned Naruto to come over to him. "We'll be working over here on a new wind jutsu."

"Ooh," Naruto said as his eyes lit up. "I wanna know a new wind jutsu!"

Watching Naruto walk away, Sakura turned to focus on Jiraiya-san. Sakura started to walk over to him, until he motioned for her to sit down.

"Do you know a lot of fuinjutsu?" Jiraiya asked as he sat down across from her. Sakura bit her lip before shaking her head.

"I know it has to deal with sealing something inside something else," Sakura said with a shrug. "Kakashi-sensei showed Naruto-kun how to seal food within a scroll, so I asked him about it after the second part of the exams."

"Hmm, I'm assuming you were able to do it with little trouble, right?" Jiraiya said as he crossed his arms. Sakura nodded. "There are a few different ways we could go with fuinjutsu, but I'm going to start at the basic level, which Kakashi has already taught you. The basic level of fuinjutsu is to seal something within a scroll."

Sakura's eyes lit up as she remembered something. "Could I seal a whole bunch of different weapons inside a scroll?" Sakura asked as her mind flashed to Tenten from the preliminary battle. The idea of having an almost unlimited supply of weapons was an appealing thought.

"Yep," Jiraiya said with a chuckle. "This'll be something you'll have to do in advance… I wouldn't suggest trying to seal something when you're in the middle of battle. It'll cost too much of your chakra if you do so."

"So to utilize fuinjutsu correctly," Sakura said while trying to think. "I should have some form of strategy set up?"

"Yes," Jiraiya said with a nod. "Which is exactly why I'm teaching you this, and not the Brat."

"Hey!" Naruto's voice carried over the training ground. "I heard that Pervy Sage!"


	28. A Month of Training 4

I feel like you are all my favorite people : ) seriously you are all so positive and really help me want to continue my story and writing! I am excited to have the next chapter up for you so soon!

Shout outs go out to: Outcast001, imaginesakura, and GalanthaDreams! Thank you everyone for your reviews!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

A Month of Training 4

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><p>Sakura sighed looking at the piles of laundry she had just finished. The boys would wear dirty clothes for days if she didn't do laundry consistently. She was pretty sure Naruto-kun would start wearing the orange jumpsuit he had gotten as a present from Lee-senpai and Gai-sensei if she hadn't have done laundry… no one needed to see that, Sakura thought with a shiver.<p>

Collecting her newly cleaned clothes, Sakura dropped them off in her bedroom before heading out the door. She still had training with Hayate-sensei to do. Hayate didn't have a lot of free time, but he was usually free at night, and had promised that he and Yugao-san would be working with her as much as their schedules allowed within the next few weeks.

For now, they were focusing on kenjutsu, because Yugao-san didn't have a lot of time. Hayate didn't say, but he alluded to the fact that she was in anbu, which meant Sakura was just thankful she got any training from the woman. Yugao had said she'd be willing to start sensor training maybe after the exams… apparently training someone in chakra sensing was a lot more time consuming than they had time for.

She felt good about it though, because she thought she was pretty good with sensing others' chakra. Walking down the sidewalk, Sakura's eyes went to the full moon. The moon made the world a lot brighter than it had been originally, and Sakura felt a little better about walking through the empty streets in it.

She wasn't afraid to walk around at night, but there was something about full moons that just unsettled her. She had probably been reading too many stories about non-sensible things like werewolves or monsters.

Continuing her trek to the allotted meeting place, Sakura expanded her senses outward and tried to concentrate on scanning different chakra signatures as she went. Yugao-san had taught her how to conceal her chakra signature better, and she did it with little effort. It was something that came with being really good at chakra control, Yugao had said.

Sakura's feet faltered slightly feeling her sensei's masked chakra a few blocks away. Hayate was a special jounin, so of course he was very good at masking his chakra. If Sakura wasn't so good at sensing chakra, or if she didn't already know what his chakra felt like, she wouldn't have felt it.

Thinking this may be a weird training practice, Sakura moved slowly in the direction of where Hayate was. Stopping completely, Sakura's eyes widened when she felt another chakra signature standing between her and her sensei's hidden location. Pushing her body against the wall, Sakura tried to sneak as close to the chakra signature as she could.

Her eyes widened when she spotted who the chakra signature was, and that there was a second person standing next to them. Why were Kabuto-san and the sand genin's sensei talking in the middle of the deserted streets in the middle of the night?

Kabuto was supposed to fight Kankuro in the first part of the exams… surely the Sand ninja's sensei wasn't trying to hurt Kabuto-san before the matches? She still didn't trust Kabuto, but that didn't mean she wanted him to get hurt.

Leaking her chakra, Sakura took a few steps away from her hiding place before looking to the two ninja in front of her. Kabuto's eyes widened when he looked her way, and the Sand genin's sensei looked equally surprised.

"What's going on here?" Sakura questioned with a frown as she halted a few yards away from the two. "I hope you're not trying to give Kankuro a step up in the exams by hurting Kabuto-san in some way."

Sakura was surprised to see relief flood both Kabuto's and the Sand genin's sensei's eyes. That was an odd reaction from the both of them… She didn't mention it at all, but looked to the two for an explanation.

"We're just talking Sakura-Chan," Kabuto said with a shrug. "Hokage-sama had said to know your enemy better… Baki-san and I are just using this as an opportunity to discuss how the battle between Kankuro and I will probably play out."

"Okay," Sakura said feeling a little confused. Hokage-sama had said to learn about your enemy, but why would Baki willingly offer up information on Kankuro? Something didn't seem completely right at the moment, but Sakura was trying to ignore that fact, because she felt Hayate's chakra flare.

As she felt Kabuto shift and take a step toward her, Sakura felt herself stiffen, before Hayate appeared in the clearing.

"Here you are Sakura," Hayate said with a cough in his fist. He seemed nervous for some reason, and Sakura wasn't quite sure why. "Yugao-Chan and I were waiting for you at the training grounds and were wondering what was taking you so long."

"Ah," Kabuto said as he pushed his glasses up his nose. "That's why you're here, Sakura-Chan. You're training really hard for the final part of the exams, aren't you?"

"Yep," Sakura said a little unsure as she started to head over to Hayate. This situation she was currently in felt so weird and Sakura wasn't sure what to think at the moment.

"You're match decides who will be facing Gaara, correct?" Baki asked with a gravelly voice.

"Yes," Sakura said with a nod as she found herself standing beside Hayate. Hayate's body seemed to be on edge, because he was standing kind of defensively. Sakura took notice, and felt her shifting to head out of the area. "Should we head to the training area, Hayate-sensei? I wouldn't want to keep Yugao-san waiting… she'll probably come looking for us soon, too, right?"

Sakura wasn't sure why she added that piece of information, but for some reason it had caused some of the tension to relieve itself from Hayate's shoulders.

"Yes," Hayate said with a nod, and a small bow to the two in front of him. "Good luck in the exams, Kabuto-san. Sakura and I will be leaving now to begin our own training."

"Train hard, Sakura-Chan," Kabuto said, and even though she couldn't see Kabuto's face, she could hear the grin on it.

"You'll need it if you want to stand a chance against Gaara," Baki barked as she and Hayate left the area.

Xxx A Month of Training 4 xxX

Last night had been a weird one, Sakura thought as she rolled out of bed. She hadn't slept very well, but then again she understood why.

After leaving Baki and Kabuto to their previous conversation, Hayate had taken her straight to the Hokage Tower. Instead of training like she had thought they were going to do, Hayate had instead said he had to meet with the Hokage immediately and had tasked an anbu to escort her home.

Kakashi-sensei had been awake once she had arrived home, and he had spoken to the anbu in quiet voices after he had sent her upstairs to her room.

The whole situation had been weird, and now that she had spent the whole night thinking about it, Sakura had realized that for some unknown reason the feeling she felt last night when she had been the clearing with Kabuto and Baki; she had felt like she was in danger… the idea was completely astounding to her, but for some reason her body had felt like it was being threatened.

She hoped Hayate would be able to shed some light on that feeling later when she met up with him for their training session. He had been listening to the two talking before hadn't he?

Going through some of her clean clothes, Sakura picked out a black t-shirt she had stolen from Kakashi-sensei and a pair of short blue shorts. For some reason, unknown to Sakura, Kakashi had put some of his old clothes from his chuunin and genin days in the laundry. The clothes were way too small for him to fit into, so Sakura had taken it upon herself to steal them and wear them upon occasion. The clothes were worn and soft, and Sakura found them comfortable to move around in.

The black shirt she was currently wearing was comfortable and loose-fitting, and she liked the silver shoulder pads. Wrapping her arms and legs with weights, Sakura headed down the stairs quietly. Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun would be sleeping for the next hour at least, and even though Sakura was up earlier than usual, Sakura knew she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep if she tried.

She had gotten a few good hours of sleep, but she had felt like someone was watching her as she slept, so the few hours felt like nothing to her. She had promised to try to make a new tea for Hayate anyways, so Sakura headed to the backyard and noticed it was still dark outside.

The last remedy mix she had tried hadn't worked, so Sakura crossed it off her list of things to try. She knew mixing thyme and ginger, and mixing flax, honey, and lemon together usually helped someone who had a persistent cough.

Walking into the backyard garden, Sakura was only able to locate the ginger. She'd have to find some thyme to mix it with later and hope it would work. She'd try flax seed, honey, and lemon next time if it didn't.

As she kneeled down on the ground to dig up some ginger, Sakura tilted her head to the right to find her sensei leaning against a tree behind her.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura greeted with a smile. "You're up pretty early."

"I could say the same thing about you," Kakashi said in a slight shrug as he continued to lean against the tree.

"What's wrong Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked while she piled up the ginger beside her. She had turned her body to look at Kakashi, and what she saw was a little worrisome. Kakashi-sensei's posture was laid-back, but his expression was tense. She could see his muscles tensing below his mask.

"Nothing you have to worry about, Sakura- Chan," Kakashi said with a sigh and a shake of his head. "I actually talked to Gai this morning about working with you, because I know you wanted to work more on your taijutsu. He said he couldn't work with you during the day because he has to work with Neji, but he has nights free. I'm going to have you work with him instead of Hayate for a while… Hayate is going to be busy with some work the Hokage is giving him."

"Is he okay?" Sakura questioned with a frown. He had seemed so off last night when they had gone to the Hokage Tower, and it made Sakura worry about everything that had happened.

"He's fine, Sakura-Chan," Kakashi said. "Hokage-sama just has a task for him to complete. He said he'll be willing to work with you after the exams if you still want to focus on kenjutsu."

"Hm," Sakura thought with a frown. "I guess it's something I have no control over. I'm happy I'll get to work on taijutsu again, though… I'll have to stop by the hospital to let Lee-senpai know I'll be training with his sensei."

"I'm sure he'd appreciate it," Kakashi said as he moved off of the tree. He started to head back to the house, but stopped when he was a few feet away from the door. "Gai will come over here after we're done training, so you won't have to worry about going anywhere at night."

"Training here?" Sakura questioned with a tilt of her head. "Why won't I be going to the training grounds?"

"We're just going to keep you around here," Kakashi said with a shrug as he stuck his hands in his pockets. "I'm going to start breakfast before you head over to the Nara compound."

"Okay," Sakura said with a nod as she turned back to the garden. She didn't see any thyme, and frowned at the thought. She'd have to pick some up from the market at some point, but seeing as she wasn't going to be training with Hayate any time soon; Sakura decided the thyme could wait.

She'd make sure to mix up the herbs and bring it to him or Yugao-san in a few days; she was even sure Kotetsu or Izumo could deliver it for her if she couldn't find either of them. She was going to the market more and more lately; she still had to stop there to pick up some turmeric powder for Lee-senpai. Turmeric spice was used as a natural painkiller that could be used even with the medication Lee was already taking in the hospital.

She wanted him to heal as quickly as possible… especially after the tearing of majority of his muscles and the crushing of his bones in his arm. Sakura cringed at the thought of Lee's broken arm; she couldn't imagine how painful that was.

Heading to the house with the ginger in hand, Sakura quickly opened the back door to find Kakashi making eggs. She grinned at him before skipping over to put the ginger away in a basket with other herbs, before grabbing the already warmed tea water and a packet of tea.

"Nice shirt by the way," Kakashi commented nonchalantly as he continued to make his eggs. Sakura couldn't help but blush slightly before brushing it off.

"Well I didn't think you'd be fitting in it," Sakura said with a slight shrug as she steeped her tea. "And I already have something from Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun so-"

"It's fine Sakura-Chan," Kakashi said. "That's actually why I put them in there. I figured you might be getting tired of wearing the boys' clothes."

"Something smells good," Naruto said sleepily as he walked into the kitchen. Sakura and Kakashi both looked at each other with semi-wide eyes before turning back to Naruto.

"Why are you awake already, Naruto-kun?" Sakura questioned with a frown as she took a sip of her tea. "It's still pretty early."

"Mah," Naruto said with a frown. "I was trying to wake up before Teme. Figured we could talk about Sauke-Teme's birthday… Sakura-Chan said it was tomorrow, right?"

"Yep," Sakura said as she took another sip of her tea. "I don't think we should have a party or anything, but maybe we could eat out tomorrow? There's a restaurant downtown that uses a lot of tomatoes in their dishes? Maybe we could go there?"

"Why not ramen, Sakura-Chan?" Naruto asked with a pout.

"Tomorrow is Sasuke's birthday," Kakashi chided as he flipped the eggs. "Not yours Naruto. I'm assuming you already have an idea for a present then, Sakura-Chan?"

"Of course," Sakura said with a smile.

"Well what is it?" Naruto asked as he slowly started to gain more energy. His eyes were a little wider, and he was leaning towards her with a curious look on his face.

"It's a surprise," Sakura said as she looked to the kitchen door, "Which is why I'm not saying anything, Sasuke-kun."

"Hn," Sasuke said as he walked through the kitchen door. Sasuke had the decency to look a little embarrassed at being caught, but he didn't say anything about it. "Morning."

"Good morning Sasuke-kun," Sakura greeted. "I hope you weren't trying to listen to us talk about your birthday plans."

"Me?" Sasuke asked while looking semi-innocent. Sakura laughed at the look on Naruto's face as he finally understood Sasuke had been trying to eaves drop on them.

"Ne, that's not right Teme," Naruto said with a frown. "We're trying to plan a surprise birthday dinner for you at some weird restaurant downtown that serves tomato dishes, and you won't even let us."

"Well there goes the surprise," Kakashi hmmed as he started to dish out the eggs onto four separate plates.

"There's a reason I didn't tell you guys the present we got him yet," Sakura said with a sigh as she shook her head. Her team really was hopeless sometimes.

"Hey," Naruto said with a confused look on his face. "What are you wearing Sakura-Chan? I don't think I've ever seen that shirt before."

"It's Kakashi-sensei's old shirt," Sakura said with a shrug as she grabbed a plate of eggs. "I have some of your old clothes, Naruto-kun, so I didn't see a problem with wearing Kakashi-sensei's."

"Hn," Sasuke said with a questioning look on his face.

"Hn," Naruto agreed as he tried to mimic Sasuke's look. "He's kinda old Sakura-Chan… Can you imagine everything that could be on that shirt? How do you know that shirt is even clean?"

"Because I washed it," Sakura said as she shook off Naruto's mother hen qualities.

"I'm kind of offended Naruto," Kakashi said with a frown as he grabbed two plates of eggs. "Maybe I should eat the eggs I made for you if you think I'm old."

"No no Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto said with a slight whine as he hurried over to where Kakashi stood. "You're not old! Please don't eat my eggs! I need all the protein I can get, because the Pervy Sage is going to teach me a summon jutsu today!"

"Summoning jutsu?" Sasuke questioned as he grabbed his own plate of eggs. He turned to Kakashi with an eyebrow raise. "Are you going to teach one of us your summoning jutsu?"

"Well not Naruto," Kakashi said with a fake frown as he gave Naruto his plate of eggs. "He probably thinks I'm too old to teach him anything."

Sakura shook her head at the pout on both Kakashi's and Naruto's face. Both males were acting ridiculous again.

"You actually have to sign a summoning contract using a scroll to learn summoning jutsu," Sakura said as she started to eat her eggs while standing. She didn't have a lot of time before she needed to go to the Nara Compound. She wanted to make sure she was on time for her match against Shikamaru-kun. "So it's a little more than just teaching a jutsu, right Kakashi-sensei?"

"Your knowledge astounds me sometimes," Kakashi mused as he turned his body around to shovel food into his mouth. Kakashi hadn't showed them his face at all, but they all had different ideas as to what it looked like underneath the mask. "Maybe I should let Sakura-Chan be contracted with my ninken because she's so smart."

"Mou," Naruto said with his pout still in place. Sasuke was currently glaring at his eggs. "It's not nice to tease, Kakashi-sensei."

"Well it's not nice to call people old, Naruto," Kakashi responded as he turned back around with a clean plate and a mask up.

"Stop teasing them, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura chastised with a grin. Finishing up her eggs, Sakura placed her plate in the sink. "I'm headed out to play a few games of Go with Shikamaru-kun!"

"Hey!" Naruto called as she headed out the kitchen door. "You're not supposed to be conspiring with the enemy!"

"Shikamaru-kun isn't the enemy," Sakura said with an amused grin as she put on her shoes before she headed toward the door. "I'm going to visit Lee-senpai for lunch, so I'll meet up with you three at the training grounds, right?"

"We'll all be there today," Kakashi confirmed as she headed out the front door. That was a good, Sakura thought to herself as walked down the familiar path to the Nara compound.

It had been a few days since all three of them had trained together, and Sakura was hopeful that it would end well. Kakashi-sensei had gotten a lot better at teaching all of them together, and they were all very good at helping each other. Sasuke-kun was even getting better at helping Naruto-kun with things.

Sighing slightly to herself, Sakura continued her walk. The sun was starting to rise in the distance, and Sakura rolled her shoulders to try to get the stiffness out of them.

She was excited to try a new strategy against Shikamaru-kun, because she had a feeling she was going to surprise him with the strategy she had come up with.

Xxx A Month of Training 4 xxX

Sakura fought a grin at the look Shikamaru was currently sending her. His brows were furrowed, and he had brought his hands together in concentration. This was the longest game they had played thus far, and Sakura was happy to find that she had lasted almost an hour against the genius. The two were taking their time in placing their stones on the board.

"I think you're losing your touch," Sakura joked mildly as she took a sip of tea Yoshino had provided them. The two were playing their game outside on the deck instead of the breakfast table she and Shikaku usually played at. Being outside was surprising not as warm as she thought it would be.

"You've gotten better," Shikamaru said while placing a new piece on the board. "We'll have to move to Shogi soon."

"Another game for you to beat me in?" Sakura questioned with a smile. She had really missed these morning interactions with him. She hadn't realized how much up until now.

"It's a game that focuses more on strategy," Shikamaru said while he looked her in the eye. "It's kind of like chess, if you've played that before."

"I have actually," Sakura said while moving one of her pieces on the board. "Believe it or not, Ino and I used to play chess when we were younger."

"Ino and chess?" Shikamaru snorted in disbelief.

"We actually did," Sakura said with a laugh. "Of course it was after we talked about boys, arranged some flowers, and went shopping, but we actually used to play."

"I still can't believe it," Shikamaru said somewhat flabbergasted. "She would never play against me."

"Well I never said she was very good," Sakura said with a shrug.


	29. A Month of Training 5

Hey guys! Sorry I couldn't get this out earlier. I actually cracked my computer screen and have been finding it really hard to write when I can't really see what I'm writing : / Hopefully I will be getting a new computer soon, but it may take longer than I am hoping for. Please be patient with me!

Shout outs go out to: our same world, Macel, and Corbetta! Thanks for the continued support and all of your reviews! They make me soo happy : )

Sending out love to my wonderful Beta Art-Chan, because she makes me happy and this story wouldn't be nearly as good without her : )

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

A Month of Training 5

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><p>Sakura closed her eyes in concentration as she tried to go through the more complex kata Kotetsu was trying to teach her. She was becoming more and more comfortable with her tanto as time progressed. The kata she was in the middle of currently had her flipping backward through the air while swiping her tanto; it ended with a dramatic twirl at the end.<p>

Landing on her feet, Sakura panted slightly while she opened her eyes. "I can't quite get the sword swipe with the flip and turn."

"It is a hard thing to do," Izumo mused from his spot beside the koi pond. Even when she was only learning something from one of them, the two were always there together. She had worked on the water jutsu with Izumo yesterday, and today Kotetsu was having her work on kenjutsu. "You should practice the swipe without your tanto first several times, and then bring in your weapon. When you're comfortable with that add in the extra spin while kicking your feet."

"That's the practical way to do it," Kotetsu said with a frown as he leaned against the rock Izumo was sitting on. The two of them had been correcting and working with her on her form for the past few hours. Sakura's game against Shikamaru felt like it had occurred days ago, when it really had just been that morning. "Keep trying it with the tanto sword, Sakura-Chan. I'm sure you're going to get it sooner or later."

"Practice without the tanto first," Izumo said as he slapped the back of Kotetsu's head. "There is a reason Kotetsu doesn't train with anyone other than me."

Sakura nodded before sheathing her tanto. Back springing backward, Sakura moved through the motion of the flip. Flipping wasn't her go to move; she'd much rather dodge to the left or the right, but this was the kata Kotetsu had wanted to teach her. It seemed a little too flashy to be practical, but she assumed she would be gaining more agility if she kept going through the motions.

"Your form was better that time," Izumo commented. "But you need to be less stiff while you flip backwards. If you're dodging an attack, you'll need to be able to adjust quickly."

"Meh," Kotetsu said with a small frown as he opened up the bottle of syrup that was sitting next to him. "As much as I don't like agreeing with Izumo, I think he may be right. Your form was a lot better in that one."

"See," Izumo said with a slight smirk. "I know what I'm talking about."

"It would also be easier if you weren't wearing your weights," Kotetsu added while ignoring Izumo's smirk. He looked thoughtful as he took another sip of syrup… Sakura could never understand how he could drink that. "But we'll practice it a few more times before you take your weights off."

"I still don't understand how you both haven't taught someone else before," Sakura mused to the two before getting back into her stance.

Taking a step backward with her right leg, Sakura transferred her weight and started flying through the air. Using her hand as her tanto, Sakura swiped her hand out in midair. When she was about to land on the ground, Sakura kicked out her legs, and ended the flip with a dramatic twirl.

"It looks better the more times you do it," Izumo mused with a nod. "Once you work on it with your tanto for a while, I'm sure it'll become easier to do. It's all about doing it over and over so your muscles can get used to it."

"A type of muscle memory?" Sakura questioned as she took in another deep breath.

"I think that's enough though, for today," Kotetsu said while standing from his place near the rock. "We wouldn't want to make you too tired for the rest of the day, ne, Sakura-Chan?"

"Yeah," Sakura said still feeling a little winded. "I'm supposed to start taijutsu training with Gai-sensei tonight."

Kotetsu broke into a fit of laughter and Izumo looked a little concerned. Sakura raised an eyebrow at the two's responses. "What?"

"Oh Kami," Kotetsu said with a grin. "If he's training you, I doubt we'll even be able to have a training session tomorrow morning."

"I trained with Lee-senpai," Sakura said with a slight shrug. "He really can't be that bad, can he?"

"We'll work on basic katas tomorrow," Izumo informed her as he stood up. "Hopefully we'll get those engrained into your muscle memory and then you'll be able to do them no problem. That, and it'll be a nice reprieve from the training you're going to have later tonight."

"So he really is that had, huh?" Sakura asked as she tried to remember more about Lee's sensei. He was eccentric, and maybe a little bit over zealous, but she didn't think he would be crazy.

"You have no idea," Izumo said as Kotetsu started laughing again. With a shake of his head, Izumo looked over to Sakura. "Did you want to head over to the library now? I can let you into the chuunin section if you're interested."

"No thanks," Sakura said with a sigh. "I'd like to go tomorrow though, if you're not busy. I promised myself I'd visit Lee-senpai today, and I was going to pick up Sasuke-kun's birthday present."

"And here I thought I was the only special one," Kotetsu said with a small pout. "I didn't know you got birthday presents for everyone."

"Not everyone," Sakura said with a grin as she patted Kotetsu on the shoulder. "Just special people."

"You know, Sakura-Chan, if you were about ten years older-"

"Tomorrow after training I'll take you to the library!" Izumo said as he slapped the back of Kotetsu's head sending him tumbling to the ground. Sakura's eyes rose in slight alarm, before shaking her head. She could never take Kotetsu seriously outside of training.

With a wave to the two, Sakura started to slowly head to the market. She knew she had to stop and grab Sasuke-kun's present, but she figured she'd do that after she visited Lee. She did have to pick Lee up a flower, though. She knew that a visit and a flower might brighten his day a little bit.

Heading over to where the Yamanaka flower shop stood, Sakura quickly walked in before trying to find the flower she wanted.

She was thinking either: a gladiolus which symbolized strength of character, a peony which usually symbolized healing, or a zinnia which symbolized thoughts of friends.

She was hoping that seeing the flowers would help her decide which one to give him. As Sakura walked through the front door of the flower shop, little bells chimed signaling her entrance.

Looking to the register, Sakura noticed the person on duty had yet to realize who she was.

"Welcome to Yamanaka flower shop," Ino said while looking through her magazine. Her eyes looked up as she said her next sentence. "Can I help yo-… Sakura."

It was weird to see Ino's blue eyes change from bored to fear so quickly. Sakura hadn't had anyone give her that look before, but she knew the reason why, and it angered her. Ino had hurt Naruto because she had called him a monster, and even though he had pretended to act fine, she knew he wasn't.

Sakura ignored the rage of anger that flowed through her. "Ino," Sakura said with a nod as she started to head toward an aisle of flowers.

Naruto-kun's life had been hard enough; he didn't need people like Ino staring at him in fear and disgust every time they so much as thought about him. Naruto-kun was one of Sakura's precious people, and it made Sakura hurt to see him hurt.

She'd have to talk to Ino about it later… she was too upset to talk to set the blonde straight now.

Looking through the flowers, Sakura's eyes stopped on several different gladiolus plants. If Sakura remembered right, the gladiolus could grow in almost ten different colors. The ones she was currently looking at held flowers that were a soft pink, and had a long green stem. It was beautiful, and Sakura hoped Lee-senpai would be able to know the meaning behind this flower.

Grabbing one of the flowers, Sakura walked up to the register where Ino sat looking stiff. Sakura handed Ino the flower, and the blonde bit her lip before speaking.

"Would.. would you like a vase with it?" Ino asked trying to be polite. Sakura knew that Ino's parents would not be happy with her if she was not polite to a potential customer. Sakura shook her head quickly.

"No," Sakura said as she watched Ino wrap the flower in a white tissue paper. "I'm stopping over at the hospital to visit Lee-senpai."

Ino froze for a second before she nodded her head. Handing Sakura back the flower, Ino walked to the register. Typing in a few buttons, Ino spoke again without looking at her. "50 yen," Ino said as she held out her hand.

Sakura frowned before putting the allotted money in Ino's hand. Before she could pull her hand away, though, Sakura grabbed it. She just wanted to make Ino understand what Naruto-kun felt when those eyes were directed toward him.

"Ino," Sakura said as she felt Ino try to rip her hand out of Sakura's own. "You need to look at me."

"Let go Forehead," Ino said as she tugged at her hand again. Sakura ignored Ino's plea, until she met the blonde's blue eyes.

"Whatever you saw inside Naruto-kun's head, that is not Naruto-kun," Sakura said as she let go of Ino's hand. Ino flinched when Sakura said Naruto's name, but she continued. "I don't even consider it apart of him, but it is a part of him.

"It's scary, but Naruto-kun is still Naruto-kun," Sakura said as she started to head toward the door. "He still wants to become the Hokage, he still loves ramen, and he's still the loveable, troublesome baka he was in the academy."

"The monster that is inside of Naruto-kun," Sakura said as he voice quieted. "Naruto has to live with that everyday… every single day, Ino… instead of the fearful, disgusted looks you send him, maybe you should try to befriend him."

Sakura walked through the flower shop door and didn't look back. She doubted her words would affect Ino in the way she wanted them too, but hopefully the blonde would be able to move past seeing whatever was locked away inside of Naruto-kun's head.

Continuing her journey to the hospital, Sakura tried to shake the meeting with Ino out of her head. She was going to see Lee-senpai and she was not going to be in a bitter mood when she was there. Lee had enough going on without having to deal with her current emotions.

Taking in another breath, Sakura rolled her shoulders before calming down. It was nothing she could change right away, any ways. As much as she'd like to change what Ino felt for Naruto-kun, she knew she couldn't. The blonde would have to change her ways of thinking herself.

The hospital wasn't that long of a journey from the flower shop, and Sakura was able to get there rather quickly.

Entering the hospital, Sakura walked to the receptionist's desk. She smiled at the receptionist who smiled back.

"I'm here to see Rock Lee," Sakura said as she leaned against the counter. "Could you tell me what room he is in, please?"

"Rock Lee?" The receptionist asked with a frown as she shook her head. "I can let you know his room number, but I'm not promising he'll be in there. We've been having a hard time keeping Lee-san in his room."

"That doesn't sound like Lee-senpai," Sakura said with a frown. He was being difficult in the hospital? Sakura had thought Lee would stay in his room and try to heal… then again he really did like training, didn't he?

"He keeps sneaking out of his room to train," the receptionist said with a huff as she motioned Sakura to head down the hallway. "He's on this floor, but we're thinking about moving him… apparently it's too tempting to be on the ground level floor. Room 127."

"Thank you," Sakura said as she bowed her head slightly. Heading down the hall in the direction she was sent, Sakura frowned at the thought of Lee not being in bed like he should be. She had remembered everything that had happened in the preliminary battles… Everything he had done to his body, along with what Gaara had done to his arm. She shivered at the thought of Gaara's sand crushing Lee's arm; the sand had done it with such little effort.

Finding Lee's room easily, Sakura headed through the open door, and frowned when she didn't find him in bed. Walking through the room, Sakura's eyes darted around until they landed on the window… he would probably be moved to an upper level soon.

Lee was outside doing one handed pushups. He looked like he had been doing them for a while, and his one arm was shaking with the strain from his body, while his broken arm was wrapped against his torso. Sakura also noticed there was a nurse standing near him looking beside herself with worry.

She seemed to be trying to tell him to stop, but knowing Lee-senpai, he wouldn't be stopping until he had finished whatever ridiculous goal he had set for himself.

Deciding to end it before it got out of control, Sakura slipped through the window and continued walking until she was a few feet away from him.

"Lee-senpai," Sakura said with a sigh as she watched his arm shake again. It was going to give out with the strain he was putting his muscles through… she knew they were still healing.

"Sakura-Chan," Lee's voice cracked with surprise as he tried to push his body up once more. Sakura's frown worsened when she saw his body wobble on his arms. Stepping forward quickly, Sakura kneeled down to help steady Lee before he could fall over.

"Lee-senpai, please," Sakura said as she felt Lee try to fight off her hands. It was a little heartbreaking to see Lee struggle against her. "Let's go back to your room… I brought you a flower and some spices that should hopefully speed up your recovery."

"But I'm not finished yet!" Lee yelled as he tried to shove his body off of himself. "I can't give up!"

"Lee-senpai," Sakura said with a deep sigh as she held his body tightly. Seeing him try this hard when his body was badly beaten made her heart clench. It wasn't fair to see Lee-senpai, someone who tried so hard to be as strong as he was, in this situation. "You're not giving up… you're giving your body a chance to recover. Your body needs time to rest after everything that has happened. It doesn't make you weak, Lee-senpai… it makes you human."

Hearing that, Lee's body sank into Sakura's hands and she couldn't help but sigh in relief. She felt him pass out and she gently laid him down on the ground.

"Oh no," the nurse spoke with a soft shake of her head. "He's worn himself out again… I'm going to have to get him a stretcher. Please watch over him as I do so."

Xxx A Month of Training 5 xxX

Sakura grinned to herself as she tucked Sasuke-kun's birthday present inside of her closet. She knew he would never go looking for his birthday present, and she wanted to make sure Naruto-kun didn't go blowing the surprise.

Closing the closet door, Sakura snuck down the stairs and started to look for something to make for dinner. Earlier, all of team seven had actually been together for training, and Sakura was more than happy that all three of them were together for at least a little bit of time.

Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun were showing each other what they had learned over the last couple of days in the backyard. Sakura was more than happy to watch them through the window as she made dinner.

"I thought they would be too tired after our session to even move," Kakashi mused as he spoke from his spot on the island. "I need to go harder on you guys next time."

"They're just excited to show off their new techniques," Sakura mused as she put the rice in the rice cooker and started to make some chicken stir fry.

"You're not jealous are you?" Kakashi asked with an eyebrow raise.

"Nope," Sakura said with a grin. "They haven't really hung out with each other much lately with how much we've been all training. I've been hanging out with Naruto-kun a lot lately, and next week I start my training with Anko and Sasuke-kun… We'll all get our time together."

"And you still have training tonight with Gai," Kakashi said with an amused tone as he took a sip of his tea.

"Why do you sound so amused?" Sakura questioned with a frown as she stirred the stir fry. "Kotetsu was laughing when he said I was going to train with Gai-sensei too."

"Oh," Kakashi said with a shake of his head. "You'll figure it out."

Sakura pouted slightly, but Kakashi-sensei still didn't share what he found was so amusing. Sighing, Sakura got back to finishing up dinner. Gai-sensei couldn't be that bad, could he?


	30. Sasuke-kun's birthday

So I got a new computer! I am in love with it, and the best part about it: it doesn't have a cracked screen! I literally just got this computer in the mail (five hours ago), and am updating already. I = awesome lol.

This chapter goes out to: thebestmindone, Romantic Orange (for that awesome review you better believe I love and miss you just as much as you miss me!), and SavannahSweety! Thanks for all the reviews, favs, and follows! 23 more reviews until I reach 500! Who thinks we can do it before the next chapter? ; )

P.S. special thanks to my beta Art-Chan who was worried about me! No worries Lovely, I am completely alive and well (now that I have a working computer!)

Chapter 30: Sasuke-kun's birthday

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><p>Sakura panted as she stood across from Gai-sensei in her backyard. Though the two had only been training for a little over an hour, Sakura had never felt as exhausted as she did now.<p>

Taking a step forward, Sakura felt her legs wobble before she locked her knees together. There was no way she was going to pass out now!

"Good job Sakura-Chan!" Gai-sensei praised her as she finally caught her breath. "Now that we're done with warm-ups we can finally get started with the real training!"

Sakura groaned as she cursed herself. She just had to think this wasn't going to be so bad. She had totally jinxed herself, hadn't she? Kami-sama help her…

Xxx Sasuke-Kun's Birthday xxX

Sakura groaned as she felt her body be forcibly woken. She refused to open her eyes and tried to snuggle back into her blankets.

"Sakura-Chan?" Naruto's voice was as quiet as it could be when the exuberant blond was jumping on her bed.

"Naruto-kun," Sakura's sleep-heavy voice whined as each bounce caused her weary body to fly into the air. "Lemme go back to sleep."

"But Sakura-Chan," Naruto's voice was softer, and his body had stopped bouncing. She felt the weight in her bed dip as Naruto sat down next to her head. "It's Sasuke-teme's birthday!"

"Give me a few more minutes, Naruto-kun," Sakura said sleepily as she snuggled her face against her fluffy pillows.

"But we're supposed to make this day super special for Sasuke-teme!" Naruto reasoned, and Sakura could just imagine the sad look on his face. "I don't know the last time Sasuke even got to celebrate his birthday with anyone Sakura-Chan."

The last statement did it, as Sakura rolled her eyes and looked at Naruto… of course the look on his face was exactly what Sakura had been expecting. His blue eyes shone in a mixture of sadness, loneliness and understanding, and even in her sleep-hazed mind, Sakura knew that celebrating Sasuke-kun's birthday was important to more than just Sasuke-kun. When was the last time Naruto-kun got to celebrate his birthday with someone (if ever), and what about Kakashi-sensei? The look tore at Sakura's heart strings, and Sakura softly groaned before trying to sit up.

Sakura's body ached all over, and she now understood why Kotetsu and Izumo suggested she take training easy today; she doubted she'd be able to do a lot anyways.

"I'll go change and then head downstairs to make breakfast," Sakura said as she cracked in back in a cat-like stretch.

"Thanks Sakura-Chan," Naruto said with a grin as he stood from her bed. "I'll even make some tea for you."

"You're the best," Sakura said as she started to roll out of bed carefully. Her body protested greatly as her fatigued muscles quivered with each movement. As Sakura's feet touched the ground, she quickly put on the new weights Gai-sensei had given her. They were all ten pounds heavier than the ones she had been wearing the day before, and Sakura was grateful she at least could move her body this morning… when she had gotten out of the shower the night before, she had thought that she wouldn't be able to move at all… life's small victories.

Throwing off her night clothes, Sakura quickly threw on a mesh shirt, Sasuke's old vest, and some spandex shorts.

Sakura looked to the bathroom longingly before she headed downstairs. She had intentionally taken a shower the night before so she wouldn't have to worry about it this morning. As much as a hot shower sounded good to her achy limbs, Sakura knew once she was inside the shower she really wouldn't have wanted to leave. After all the training last night, Sakura had refused to go to bed with as dirty and sweaty as she was; her body had reeked by the time she had gotten inside.

Sighing slightly to herself Sakura slowly made her way to the kitchen. Sakura heard the tea pot boil as she walked in; Naruto was quick to take it off and turn off the stove. Sakura nodded her thanks as Naruto quickly poured her a steaming hot cup of lavender tea; one of her favorites.

Each member of team seven had a different favorite flavor of tea. Sakura's was lavender, Kakashi's was chamomile, Sasuke's was mint with sun roasted tomato spice added, and Naruto's was orange hibiscus. Sakura grinned as the lavender smell invaded her nostrils and instantly relaxed her.

After taking a small sip of tea, Sakura set the tea cup down and started to grab different ingredients from the fridge. The items she grabbed caused Naruto to raise his eyebrow in question.

"Why do you need all those tomatoes, Sakura-Chan?" Naruto questioned with a slight frown. She knew tomatoes weren't Naruto's favorite.

"Because it's Sasuke-kun's birthday," Sakura said as she continued to arrange the ingredients on the kitchen counter. "And tomatoes are Sasuke-kun's favorite food… I'm incorporating them into everything I am making today."

"Everything?" Naruto questioned again as his brows furrowed.

"Yep," Sakura said with a grin. "Tomato omelets with Mexican salsa and tomato juice for breakfast, tomato sushi, onigiri, and pickled tomatoes and carrots are going to be packed in your bento for lunch, and I managed to make a cake using tomato soup last night…"

"Ew," Naruto said with a grimace. Sakura shook her head before laughing.

"It's not your birthday," Kakashi said while entering the kitchen and going straight to the tea kettle. He easily poured the still warm water into a cup before adding the chamomile bag of tea. "I'm sure Sakura-Chan is going to make each of our birthday's special, right Sakura-Chan?"

"Of course I will," Sakura said as she put some rice in the rice cooker. After finishing that, she started to dice the tomatoes. "Though I don't know how I'd make a cake out of ramen, or a cake out of boiled saury or miso soup with eggplant…"

"How do you know what my favorite foods are?" Kakashi questioned in mild surprise. Sakura grinned before she started to crack the eggs for the omelets.

"I'm good at observing," Sakura said with a shrug. "Adding eggplant to your miso soup isn't exactly common… plus that's usually the only thing you order when we go out."

"It's how my mom used to make it," Kakashi spoke, his tone rich in affection. Sakura and Naruto both froze; Kakashi usually never shared anything personal with them.

Once Kakashi had realized what he had said, he ruffled both Naruto and Sakura's hair before taking over with the omelets. "I think I heard you say something about bento boxes, Sakura-Chan?"

"Right," Sakura said with a shake of her head. Taking the rice out of the rice cooker, Sakura slowly started to make tomato sushi rolls. She hummed to herself quietly as she worked.

Hearing the silence that surrounded her, Sakura turned toward Naruto with a raised eyebrow. His head was resting on his hands, and he had a dreamy look on his face.

"What?" Sakura asked.

"I'm thinking about my ramen birthday cake," Naruto said with a bemused sigh.

"I really hope you didn't make a ramen birthday cake for my birthday," Sasuke said with a cringe as he walked into the kitchen.

"Good morning Sasuke-kun!" Sakura chirped cheerfully as she finished the sushi rolls. "Happy birthday!"

"Thanks, Sakura," Sasuke said as his ears tinted pink as Sakura walked over and wrapped her arms around his torso in a hug. "What's for breakfast?"

"You'll find out when we get into the dining room," Sakura responded as she unwrapped her arms from his body. Looking over to Kakashi, Sakura nodded once. "Kakashi-sensei is almost done with what he's cooking, and I already had the other items ready."

"I'll grab the cake," Naruto offered as his lips tugged downward.

"I'll get-"

"Go to the dining room, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said with a shake of her head as she motioned for him to have a seat. "It's your birthday, and you shouldn't really do anything. We'll bring the food in, and all eat together. I'll finish up the bento boxes when breakfast is over."

"Bento boxes?" Sasuke questioned with a slight frown.

"We're all training through lunch today," Sakura said with a shrug as she grabbed the salsa and tomato juice. She followed Sasuke into the dining room and placed the two items on the table. "And we're getting together to go out for dinner, so I figured I'd make you all some lunch."

"I'm not training through lunch," Sasuke said as his frown worsened a little, and he stuck his lips out… If Sakura didn't know him any better, she would have said he was pouting.

"You can meet me at the library if you want then," Sakura said with a grin as she walked back into the kitchen to grab her tea cup and a new one for Sasuke's. She poured the tea easily while grabbing his favorite bag of tea. Walking back into the dining room, she noticed Sasuke seemed to be happy with that answer.

"I could meet you at the library," Sasuke said as he took the tea cup with a thankful nod. "I was supposed to have training with Anko during lunch, but she's giving me some time off because it's my birthday…"

"That's awfully nice of her, Teme," Naruto chimed in as he sat next to Sasuke. Sakura took the seat across from him, and waited for Kakashi to dish out the omelets.

The tomato cake that stood on the table actually looked really good, Sakura thought as she looked at the sugary concoction.

"Tomato omelets are served," Kakashi said while walking into the dining room and passed out the omelets easily. After that was done, each member of team seven grabbed a cup of tomato juice and then started to eat.

"We'll save the cake for the end of breakfast," Sakura said as she took another bite of her omelet. She had never felt so hungry in her life; it must have been all the calories she had burned up last night.

"Cake for breakfast, Sakura-Chan?" Kakashi teased mildly as he sipped his tea through his mask. "Something tells me you'll need all the calories you can eat after your training session last night."

"Har har," Sakura commented while taking a sip of her own tea. "I feel like a burned a billion calories yesterday, so all the calories and carbs in the cake will be a good thing."

"How was training with Gai-sensei?" Sasuke asked while looking slightly amused.

"You guys trained with him before right?" Sakura asked while looking to Naruto and Sasuke. "I'm sure that was intense, but one on one training was nothing like I'd ever experienced… I'm surprised I'm moving this morning."

Naruto started snorting in laughter as he ate his omelet, and even Kakashi chuckled. "Gai can be a little intense sometimes, but he's very serious about training. He'll be a good sensei for you."

"He said something about working on my endurance, strength, and stamina before even starting me on taijutsu training," Sakura said thoughtfully as she swirled her tea in her cup. "I feel like I'm doing more taijutsu training with Kotetsu and Izumo than with Gai-sensei."

"So far," Kakashi said with a shrug. "But he'll be showing you some new things soon. Gai knows more about taijutsu than anyone in this village. You'll learn a lot from him."

"And at least I won't have to wear his weird jumpsuit," Sakura said with a slight shudder. Looking at Sasuke, she noticed he shuddered at the thought too.

"I have one of those, Sakura-Chan!" Naruto said with a frown and a hurt look. "It's orange and it's awesome! The suits are so breezy and-"

"Don't even, Dobe," Sasuke said with a shake of his head. "I swear, if I ever see you wear one of those we can no longer be friends."

Sakura felt a bubble of laughter escape her at the offended look on Naruto's face.

"But Sasuke-teme!"

"No buts Naruto," Kakashi said as he hid a grin behind his tea cup. "If you wear one of those suits we're going to all vote you out of team seven… All in favor?"

"Yay," Sakura and Sasuke said with a grin as Naruto continued to look offended.

"All opposed?" Kakashi said with a bigger grin.

"What!?" Naruto screeched. "I'm opposed! No!"

"You're actually supposed to say 'nay', Naruto-kun," Sakura said with a grin. "But Kakashi-sensei is only teasing you."

"The yay's have it," Kakashi said as he let a chuckle escape his throat. Sakura joined him in laughter, before Naruto crossed his arms and started to pout.

"Come on Dobe," Sasuke said with a smirk. "There's no way we could replace you even if we wanted to."

"He's right Naruto-kun," Sakura said sweetly as she finished up the last of her omelet. "Do you want to cut the cake Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn," Sasuke said, and Sakura knew that was his way of saying yes. Sakura quickly stood up and snuck into the kitchen; she grabbed a sharp knife, before she headed back.

Handing Sasuke the knife, Sakura watched as Sasuke's eyes held questions as he looked at the cake.

"It's actually a tomato cake," Sakura said with a sly grin as she sat in her chair. "I know you don't like sweet things Sasuke-kun, but everyone needs a cake on their birthday. This one has tomato soup in it, and it kind of reminds me of carrot cake."

"Hn," Sasuke said as his eyes shone in appreciation. "Thanks Sakura…"

"That is pretty thoughtful," Kakashi chimed in as he eyed the cake with interested. "And I'm kind of curious as to how it will taste."

"It was in one of my mom's old cook books," Sakura said as she watched Sasuke cut the cake. He sliced a rather large piece for himself, and then served the rest of them medium sized pieces; Sakura grinned when she noticed Naruto got the smallest piece.

"Why did I get the smallest piece, Teme?" Naruto asked with a glare.

"I didn't want to waste good cake on someone who wouldn't appreciate it," Sasuke said as he took a bite. Sakura and Kakashi both laughed at the pout on Naruto's face.

Xxx Sasuke-kun's Birthday xxX

Sakura found herself seated in the chuunin section of the library courtesy of Izumo. She had so many things she wanted to look through, but she didn't know where she should start.

She had been getting a great deal of kenjutsu training with Kotetsu and Izumo, so she didn't want to read on that. Taijutsu was also out, because she knew she would be training more with Gai-sensei in that area.

Walking to the section of the library that contained the genjutsu scrolls, Sakura scanned the scrolls before finding a few she may be interested in. Kakashi-sensei said he and Anko may be able to teach her more on genjutsu, but she also wanted to try to learn a few things on her own.

Scanning the other shelves of the library, Sakura stopped when she found a book on medical ninjutsu that she found interesting. Medical ninjutsu was not something she'd be able to learn before the exams. It took perfect chakra control, and many years of practice to master it, but that didn't mean she couldn't start early.

Grinning, Sakura grabbed a few other books on the subject before sitting down at one of the tables. Kotetsu had ended the training session early, because she had been more tired than she wanted to admit. Even with all the teasing he gave her, Sakura knew he felt sorry for her sore muscles; she was happy to eat and read in the library.

Feeling a chakra signature enter the library, Sakura flared her own chakra to tell Sasuke where she was sitting. Sasuke appeared a few moments later; she knew the chuunin guarding the section wouldn't give him a hard time.

"Good afternoon Sasuke-kun," Sakura greeted with a grin as she opened her bento box. Sasuke sat down across from her and eyed the several scrolls she had spread out.

"Hn," Sasuke said in his own way of greeting as he opened his own bento box. Seeing how much he had liked the cake, Sakura had snuck an extra piece in his lunch. His eyes shone when he spotted it.

"How was training with Anko?" Sakura questioned as she took a bite of her onigiri.

"Hard," Sasuke said before taking a bite of the tomato sushi. "Anko has been drilling me a lot on genjutsu, and has been trying to teach me a lot of different ways to set up traps. She's a hard sensei, but that's why I asked her to train me.

"What about you?" Sasuke asked as his eyes met with her own. Sakura grinned before sharing her own training.

"Kotetsu and Izumo have been working with me on kenjutsu and water ninjutsu," Sakura said as she took a sip of water. "I was training with Hayate-sensei, but he's been too busy lately… that's why I started to train with Gai-sensei at night."

"Too busy?" Sasuke questioned with an eyebrow raise.

"Kakashi-sensei said he was given a mission," Sakura said with a shrug and a frown. "But the last time I saw him we didn't even train… it was weird. We found Kabuto-san and the Sand genin's sensei talking in the middle of the night."

"…Weird," Sasuke muttered with a frown. "Did you know what they were talking about?"

"No," Sakura said as she shook her head. Leaning in a little closer, Sakura quieted her voice a little before speaking again. "But for some strange reason I felt like I was in danger… Kabuto-san's a Leaf genin, but I haven't really trusted him ever since we've met him."

"Hn," Sasuke agreed with a nod. "Me either… It's kind of ironic that he got the free pass into the final part of the exams too, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Sakura said as she fought down a shudder. "I'm glad I don't have to fight him right off the bat."

"Yeah," Sasuke said. "You have Shikamaru though… Have you thought up a strategy for that match yet?"

"A few," Sakura said with a grin. "Probably nothing that's going to pan out yet, but I think I'll have some ideas. What about you and Neji-san?"

Sasuke grunted arrogantly, and Sakura just shook her head; some things could probably never be changed.

Sakura continued to eat her lunch as she read one of the scrolls on genjutsu. This one talked about a similar jutsu to the hell viewing technique Kakashi-sensei had used on her during their survival training when the team had first gotten together. That felt like years ago to her, Sakura thought with an amused smile.

"I have some scrolls on genjutsu in the clan library if you're interested," Sasuke said casually as he eyed the genjutsu scrolls littered across the table. "I don't know if they'll be any help, but I can let you see them if you want."

"That'd be great," Sakura said with a grin. "I'd been wanting to go back there at some point, but I didn't want to force you to go there."

"… It is my house Sakura," Sasuke said with a dismissive shake of his head. "I still live there… kind of."

"My house is our home, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said with a warm smile. "Team seven… I want you guys to live with me for as long as you can stand it. I feel more at home in my house now than I did when my parents were alive… I feel awful for saying that, but it's true."

Sakura must have struck a chord with Sasuke as he too smiled. "I know the Dobe, Kakashi, and I would like that Sakura."

"Great," Sakura said as she took the final bite of her lunch. "Let's finish up lunch here and then we can go to your manor and get the rest of your things. We'll tell Naruto-kun after dinner."

Sakura stood up to throw her food away in the garbage when she felt a pressure on her wrist. She looked down and raised an eyebrow before looking up at the boy who was holding her.

"Thank you," Sasuke said quietly. Sakura smiled before putting her hand on his.

"Anytime Sasuke-kun."


	31. A Month of Training 6

Hello everyone! I am back again : ) I really love my new computer, so I felt it necessary to update again! Hopefully I can get back into the swing of updating fairly regularly!

This chapter is dedicated to: Suzululu4moe, Twisted Musalih, and angel897. Thanks for the added support and kind words. We're so close to 500 reviews, I think I can almost taste it! You'll all get a special treat when we get there : ) … maybe a super cute ShikamaruXSakura moment? Who knows… *evil cackles*

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 31: A Month of Training 6

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><p>Sakura found herself smiling as she followed Sasuke to the Uchiha manor. It had been a while since she had found herself at the Uchiha compound, but she was more than happy to accompany Sasuke-kun there now.<p>

"What do you need to pack?" Sakura asked as the two entered the deserted streets of the Uchiha compound.

"Some more clothes so you don't have to do my laundry as often," Sasuke said with an amused smirk as he looked back to her. "And some of my weapons and scrolls that I should have with me. Maybe a few other things too."

"Should we have brought Naruto-kun, or Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura questioned as she turned to look at Sasuke.

"Hn," Sasuke said with a slight shrug. "I can always come back. It would have been kind of inconvenient to find them after we finished lunch."

"I guess you're right," Sakura said as she sped up slightly to keep pace with him. The two walked down a few more streets until Sasuke-kun's old house came into view.

Walking to the front door, Sasuke quickly opened the door before taking off his shoes and heading inside. He turned as Sakura stopped to take off her own shoes.

"You remember where the library is?" Sasuke asked with a raised eyebrow. Sakura nodded easily. "Good, you can head there. If you finish before I do, feel free to find me; my room is down the hall."

"Sounds good, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said as she headed to the clan library. She had remembered the path to the library, and thought that Sasuke-kun would probably be done before she would be… she remembered how many books and scrolls he had in there.

Sakura found her way to the library easily. Scanning the shelves slowly, Sakura remembered Sasuke-kun had said the library hadn't been organized in a way he could understand it, but after scanning it slowly, Sakura was actually able to make a little sense of it.

Whoever had organized the library had done so in a very meticulous manner. All of the jutsu was organized by rank, elemental type, and country it had originated from. Sakura shook her head slightly; she had figured that out after only a few minutes of looking through the library.

After figuring how the library was organized, Sakura was able to find the genjutsu section without much hassle; there was a lot of books on genjutsu that she would want to borrow. Grabbing a few that really intrigued her, Sakura put them in her kunai pouch before starting to head down deeper into the house.

Sakura passed by the kitchen and the living room. Both looked dusty, unused, and lonely, and Sakura was happy that Sasuke-kun had agreed to live with her for good now. If this is what Sasuke-kun's house looked like, Sakura wondered what Naruto's apartment, or even Kakashi's apartment looked like.

Walking down another hallway, Sakura stopped as she stepped on a creaky floor board, which caused a paneled door next to the hallway to slide open. Without really thinking, Sakura walked to the door, and slid it open the rest of the way.

Standing before her was a basic blue bedroom. There was a twin sized bed in the middle of the room, a night stand, a desk, a dresser, and a door to what Sakura assumed was a closet. The room had the bare minimum, and Sakura wondered if it was a guest room.

Taking a few steps inside the room, Sakura's eyes scanned the room until they landed on a picture frame that was face down.

Sakura's curiosity was piqued as she turned to the hallway to see if Sasuke-kun was anywhere to be seen. He wasn't, so Sakura decided to sneak into the room quietly and look at the picture.

Walking over to the desk where the picture frame sat, Sakura lifted it up to look at the picture. Gasping slightly, Sakura was surprised to come face to face with a picture of Sasuke-kun and another Uchiha…

It was a photograph of Sasuke-kun laughing when he was maybe four and another older boy. The older boy had his arms wrapped around Sasuke's sides, and he was looking at Sasuke with a small smile. She couldn't quite place the look that was in the other boy's eyes, but it was something that was familiar to her.

Sakura's fingers slipped on the picture frame and it dropped to the floor in a loud crash. Sakura cringed as the glass shattered, and she kneeled down to start to pick it up. She didn't sense Sasuke's chakra moving near her, so she hoped he hadn't heard her.

Knowing that the picture frame was completely broken, Sakura just piled the pieces of glass onto the desk before grabbing the picture frame. As she did, however, the picture fell out, and Sakura's eyes widened as she saw the words on the back of the picture.

"_I will always love you foolish Otouto."_

This was… this was a picture of Sasuke-kun's brother? It certainly looked like him, Sakura realized as she flipped the picture over quickly to take in the appearance of what she now knew was Sasuke-kun's brother.

This picture had to hold a significant value to Sasuke-kun, but then again, why had it been turned face down? Was it possible that his brother was the one who had killed his whole clan?

Sasuke-kun had not told her or Naruto many details on who or why it had happened, but after listening to Sasuke-kun's screams during his night terrors, Sakura had a little bit of information to go on.

The boy in the picture was the boy that had killed Sasuke-kun's whole family… he was the reason behind it. It made Sakura angry and confused as to why he had left Sasuke all alone in the world.

Sakura was about to crumple up the picture, but stopped herself when she looked into the other boy's eyes. The look in his eyes… Sakura was able to identify the emotion, but Sakura knew a psychopath, who had killed his whole family, couldn't show an emotion such as love in his eyes would he?

The look in his eyes wasn't fake, Sakura knew that for sure. It was a look of pure devotion, and pure love. Was that the reason Sasuke-kun was still alive? Did his brother love him too much to 'test his abilities' on him?

Instead of crumpling up the picture, Sakura instead pocketed it in her kunai pouch, and cleaned up the rest of the mess she had made.

Sasuke-kun hadn't told her everything about the massacre, but maybe she'd be able to get a little bit more out of him later. Telling Sakura about the massacre had been a big step for Sasuke. Sakura knew she just had to be patient for him to open up to her again.

Placing the picture frame and glass in the garbage inside the room, Sakura quickly headed back out the door. Sliding it closed, Sakura turned and started to head toward where Sasuke's chakra stood relatively still.

Once she walked a few minutes, Sakura came to an open door. Walking through it, Sakura found it to be a room eerily similar to the one she had just left. The only differences were: this room appeared to be a little more lived in, there were two pictures on the desk instead of one, and there was a bookshelf filled with old ninja stories.

The bookshelf surprised Sakura, because the old ninja stories were usually children's bedtime stories. Sakura watched Sasuke-kun as he kneeled next to the bookshelf and started to grab a few of the books.

Sakura flared her chakra slightly to let Sasuke know she was there, and he acknowledged her by turning and nodding.

"Did you need any help yet, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura questioned as she went to lean against Sasuke's bed. The bed in this room was a darker blue than the one she had been in last, but the bed was the same size.

"I don't think so," Sasuke said with a shake of his head. He held three different ninja story books before piling them into a bag that sat next to him. Sakura idly noticed the bag was filled with books and scrolls.

"Is this all you're taking?" Sakura questioned as she looked to the few piles of clothes that lay on the bed, and bag of books that was beside Sasuke.

"I still need to pack my extra weapons and kunai," Sasuke said with a shrug as he motioned over to the closet. "They're in there if you want to grab them… I have a feeling I'm going to need them along with more wire for Anko's training sessions."

"I'm going to start training with you soon," Sakura said with a smile as she opened the closet door before looking for the items Sasuke had requested. It was easier doing as she was told than to dwell on the picture that sat in her pouch…

"Anko told me," Sasuke said as she heard something being set on the bed. She turned just in time to see Sasuke lean against the door while watching her grab the things he needed.

Sakura held up the wire and kunai to him, and blushed slightly when his fingers accidently brushed against hers. Sasuke didn't say anything at the contact, but Sakura did notice his ears burn pink.

"We're ready," Sasuke said with a slight cough as he motioned to the eight or so piles of things that needed to be carried over to her house.

"We can do that," Sakura said with a grin as she made a hand sign. In a second a poof was heard, and two other Sakuras appeared beside her. "Who said we couldn't get a little training in before we go train with Jiraiya-san and Kakashi-sensei?"

Xxx A Month of Training 6 xxX

Team seven stood at the training grounds with Jiraiya. Sakura and Sasuke had just finished dropping off all of Sasuke's stuff off at their house, and they were more than excited to get to work with each other again.

"I'm going to be training with you and Naruto, Sasuke," Kakashi said with a nod toward Sasuke. Sasuke nodded before looking to the only female in their group with an eyebrow raise.

"I'm going to continue to work on fuinjutsu with Jiraiya-san," Sakura said with a grin as she motioned to the silver haired Sannin. "I've been coming up with a new strategy for when I fight against Shikamaru-kun… I think if I seal enough weapons inside of a few scrolls I'll be able to surprise him."

"Hn," Sasuke said as a small pout made its way to his face; he had thought they would be training together.

After all the special training he had been getting with Anko lately, he hadn't been able to work with Naruto and Sakura as much as he had wanted to. Sakura had been pretty busy herself… he couldn't even count how many different people she was learning things from.

It had impressed him greatly, and Sasuke was ashamed to say he hadn't thought her capable of getting as strong as she was so quickly. When she had first started her quest to become stronger both Naruto and himself had thought it was something she would grow out of…

Watching her concentrate her chakra perfectly to seal a kunai into a scroll, Sasuke realized how stupid he was to think that in the first place.

Sakura had always been book smart in the academy, but now she was able to use those book smarts in a whole new way. She was incredibly good with strategizing, something Sasuke hadn't thought she would be good with. He was going to have to talk with her about his possible plans for the Hyuga when he had the chance.

Following Kakashi as he led Naruto and himself into a clearing a little further away from Sakura and Jiraiya, Sasuke found himself content with the life he was living.

He had never thought he would have three people he would consider family again… Sakura and Naruto had broken down his walls, and Kakashi came in barreling afterward.

Shaking his head from his thoughts, Sasuke turned to Kakashi and waited for him to explain what the three of them were going to be working on.

"Alright kids," Kakashi said as he stopped. "You're both going to be sparring one of my clones. I want you guys to go at this like your teammates' lives depend on it; come at my clones with killing intent. Once you have both trained for an hour, I'm going to dismiss a clone and have you two strategize and work together to dismiss the last one yourselves…

"Sakura's not here to help you guys with strategy," Kakashi said with an amused smirk. "You can't always depend on Sakura-Chan to be there… especially in the upcoming battles. We only have a little under three weeks to prepare."

"Mou," Naruto pouted as he glanced back to Sakura. "Sakura-Chan taught me some strategy techniques a little while ago… That doesn't mean I like to fight without her though."

"You're just going to have to deal with it Naruto," Kakashi said as two clones poofed before them. "Your training session starts now!"

Sasuke found himself quietly wishing Sakura was beside them helping them through this. He knew it would make defeating Kakashi's clones easier.

Xxx A Month of Training 6 xxX

Sakura wiped the sweat from her brow as she looked down to the scroll in front of her. She and Jiraiya had spent almost two hours sealing things inside of a few different scrolls.

The things included ninja type weapons, but also a few surprise items she hoped would give her an edge up in the final part of the exams.

Looking over to where her two teammates lay, Sakura shook her head before grinning.

"So much for taking it easy on us because it's Sasuke-kun's birthday," Sakura said as she shot an accusing look toward Kakashi. "Right, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi's response was to look innocent, and Sakura giggled while she walked over to the group of three.

"We should probably head over to the restaurant soon," Sakura said as she kneeled next to Sasuke and Naruto; both were out of breath and panted while lying on the grass. "Tomate isn't going to hold our reservations all night."

"Tomate?" Naruto questioned with a frown as he scratched his head slightly. "Why does that sound like tomato?"

"It's French for tomato," Sakura said while she cracked her back with a stretch. "I told you we were going to have tomatoes for every meal today… Tomate is a new restaurant located downtown. The restaurant is known for having tomato in every single one of their dishes, even their ramen."

"Ramen?" Naruto asked while he bounced upward. Sakura grinned as his fatigue seemed to roll off of him quickly. Turning to Sasuke, Sakura noticed that he too was starting to stand.

"We don't need to clean up first, do we?" Sasuke questioned as he nodded to their apparel. The three youngest members of team seven were covered in sweat and dirt; it probably didn't help that they all smelled bad.

Kakashi snorted before shaking his head. "Nah," he said as he grinned. "We'll go like this… I'd like to see them try to kick us out."

"Are you going to join us, Pervy Sage?" Naruto asked as he noticed Jiraiya standing a few feet away from them. "I'm sure Sasuke-teme wouldn't mind more company."

"No thanks Runt," Jiraiya said with a slight smile. "I've got to meet up with the Hokage… I'm sure Kakashi will have to meet up with him soon to discuss the same matter."

"I'll wait for the summons," Kakashi nodded as Jiraiya bid them farewell.

Sakura walked beside Kakashi as they all left the training field; both Naruto and Sasuke were leading the way to the restaurant. Sakura was pretty sure Naruto didn't even know where the restaurant was, but still wanted to beat Sasuke there; the two were always going to have little rivalry battles.

As Sakura's eyes turned to Kakashi, she frowned. Sakura had prided herself in learning to read both Sasuke and Kakashi better; she could pick up the little emotion in their eyes, and also their body language. Kakashi's shoulders were currently tense, and there was a concerned look in his lone-showing eye.

Whatever Jiraiya had been talking about, Sakura knew it was affecting Kakashi's mood. Bumping her shoulder slightly against his arm, Sakura watched as Kakashi's eyes changed quickly; the look of concern sharpened before disappearing all together. It was one of the many things Kakashi was good at; hiding and concealing his emotions.

"What?" Sakura asked as quietly as she could. She didn't want to catch Sasuke or Naruto's attention. Sasuke-kun's birthday was supposed to be a happy day, and she wanted to keep it as such. She didn't want to let whatever was bothering Kakashi affect the other two.

"You're too perceptive," Kakashi said with a slight sigh as he rubbed the back of his neck. "But it's something you don't have to worry about Sakura-Chan. We should enjoy Sasuke's birthday while we can."

Sakura sent Kakashi a look that only caused Kakashi to sigh again. "We'll talk about it after I speak with the Hokage," Kakashi said. "All of us will."

"Okay," Sakura said with a grin as she felt Kakashi concede to her. "Did you remember to pack the scroll with Sasuke-kun's present inside?"

"Of course I did Sakura-Chan," Kakashi said as his lips tugged upward. Grabbing a familiar looking scroll from his pouch, Sakura grabbed it from his hands with a grin. "I still can't believe you were able to seal that thing in a scroll all by yourself."

"Jiraiya-san has been teaching me to seal things inside of scrolls," Sakura said as she ran a hand over the scroll. "I was just happy to seal this before Naruto-kun was able to find it… Kami knows he would have told Sasuke-kun what we ended up getting him."

"… What did we end up getting him again, Sakura-Chan?" Kakashi asked after a few seconds of silence.

Sakura found herself laughing. "If I didn't tell Naruto-kun, I certainly won't tell you Kakashi-sensei."

"Mou," Kakashi said with a fake pout. "That's not nice Sakura-Chan."

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><p>So what do you guys think? I'm trying to add in some of the ideas a lot of you are sharing with me, because I really like them : ) Art-Chan and I have like a billion different ideas for this story, but I love when you guys give me your ideas too! I like trying to incorporate your ideas into the story : )<p>

P.S. What do you think Sakura got Sasuke for his birthday?


	32. A Month of Training 7

You guys did it! : ) I challenged you guys to get 500 reviews for me, and you did! I'm going to give you all a special treat because of that!

This chapter is dedicated to: Love anime 95 (who was one of the only ones to try and guess what Sasuke's birthday present was), Macel (because they actually read a different one of my stories and tried to guess Sasuke's birthday present), and Starkiss666 (who said this story deserved 500 reviews)! Thank you!

And to answer your question Macel, none of my stories are discontinued : ) I will finish every single story that I have started! It's just going to take me a little time to get there… especially if I continue to update this story like I am currently.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 32: A Month of Training 7

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><p>Sakura sighed as she stood in the kitchen. She was waiting for the water in the tea kettle to boil, because it was ungodly early, and she really needed a cup of tea.<p>

She had been up majority of the night last night, but it had not been the nightmares that had plagued her dreams earlier in the month. She had been up thinking about Sasuke-kun, and the picture she had found at the Uchiha manor.

She hadn't brought the subject up with him yet, and Sakura wasn't quite sure how to broach the topic. Turning to the stove just before the kettle blew, Sakura could only smile when she caught sight of the plant that sat in the kitchen window.

For Sasuke-kun's birthday, Sakura had bought him a potted tomato plant. She knew how much Sasuke loved tomatoes; now he had his own plant to eat them from.

Sakura grinned remembering Sasuke's reaction from the night before. He had smiled and a light of appreciation had shown in his eyes while he looked to the rest of team seven. It had been a good idea, Sakura had thought smugly as she took a sip of her tea.

It was maybe five in the morning, and Sakura wasn't sure if she should head over to the Nara compound yet or not. She wasn't sure when Shikamaru was up and training, and she didn't really want to bother Shikaku-san if he wasn't awake.

Mulling over her choices, Sakura decided to risk the visit to the compound. She didn't want to wake up any of the boys here, and if Shikamaru or Shikaku weren't up, Sakura was sure she'd be able to train in the clearing she had seen Shikamaru training in earlier.

Finishing her cup of tea, Sakura set the glass in the sink before walking to the door. Putting on her ninja sandals, Sakura left the house without looking back.

She should have brought more scrolls with her, Sakura mused as her hand brushed against her kunai pouch. She had read a few of the scrolls last night after her training with Gai-sensei, but she hadn't gotten very into the scrolls before she had found the picture of Sasuke and his brother…

During the night, Sakura had wondered if she should bring the topic up with Kakashi-sensei when the two were both alone… She wanted to learn more about Sasuke-kun's situation, and everything that happened, but she felt that she might be overstepping her bounds if she did.

Running her hand against her tanto, Sakura quickly made her way to the Nara compound. Walking through the quiet compound, Sakura found Shikamaru's house easily. Scanning the house with her chakra, Sakura found herself smiling when she felt Shikamaru's chakra awake and moving.

Shikamaru's chakra reminded her of Sasuke's chakra in a certain way; it was calm, but instead of flowing like a river it had an earthy tone to it that Sakura really couldn't describe. Finding the window closest to Shikamaru's chakra, Sakura knocked on the window quietly and waited.

The blinds were drawn up quickly and Sakura almost jumped backward when she came face to face with Shikamaru. His eyes shone in surprise while Sakura quickly turned to look away from him.

Shikamaru opened the window after a few moments, and Sakura heard his voice through the window as her cheeks blushed a light pink.

"What are you doing here Sakura?" Shikamaru asked and Sakura could hear the frown in his words.

"I was hoping to train with you," Sakura said as she still refused to look at Shikamaru. "But knowing you, you won't do that with me… so maybe a game of Go instead?"

Sakura heard Shikamaru sigh. "Yeah," Shikamaru said. "I'll grab the board and be right out, okay? Our previous game made me realize that I miss our matches."

"Don't forget a shirt," Sakura said as she quickly headed to the backyard. Her cheeks were still rosy as she found a seat near the garden. This was actually the place she had found Shikaku in the first time she had come to their house.

She was around males all the time, so she shouldn't have reacted the way she did, Sakura thought to herself while she waited for Shikamaru to appear. She decided to think on something else while she waited for Shikamaru…

What type of strategy should she use to try to beat him this time?

Xxx A Month of Training 7 xxX

Shikamaru grunted to himself as he threw on his usual mesh shirt as a soft blush dusted his ears. Kami-sama that girl was troublesome, Shikamaru thought as he grabbed his jacket before closing his bedroom door quietly.

She had been on his thoughts a lot lately, and it had been increasingly frustrating. He wasn't saying that he would get distracted during training, no he never allowed himself to do that. He was saying, however, that he often had his thoughts drift to her when he was trying to relax.

He would wonder what types of things she was learning, what types of strategies she was coming up with for their upcoming battle, and how she was coping with everything that had happened to her recently.

Shikamaru didn't think Sakura had enough time to grieve over her parent's death. That was one of the things he had decided during the time he allotted himself on thoughts of Sakura; they occurred usually when he was watching the clouds. His favorite pass time had been interrupted by thoughts of her…

Grabbing his Go board, Shikamaru snuck out the back door quietly. He felt most at home when he wasn't wearing shoes, and since he wasn't planning on going very far, Shikamaru felt like he could go without.

Finding Sakura easily in the backyard, Shikamaru found himself smirking to himself; her cheeks were still pink from earlier.

He had been more than surprised when he heard the knock on his window as he was getting dressed. Without even thinking about it, he had pulled open his blinds and come face to face with Sakura.

He had been confused at first to why she had almost immediately looked away from his person, but being the genius he was, Shikamaru had figured out why she had done it rather quickly. She had been embarrassed at seeing him shirtless, which caused something incredibly weird to flutter in his chest.

Kami he sounded like a lovesick teenager… shaking his head slightly, Shikamaru found himself frowning when he caught sight of what Sakura was wearing.

She had been wearing her teammates' shirts lately, and even though he thought she looked good in them a certain part of him didn't like it. Right now she was wearing one of Naruto's old shirts; it was the white shirt that had a ramen swirl on it.

"Are you ready to lose?" Sakura asked with a smile; the red from her cheeks had faded.

Shikamaru could only respond with a smirk as his previous thoughts were lost in the back of his mind. "Like you're going to be the one to beat me."

"Hey!" Sakura accused with a slight laugh. "I came kind of close to yesterday!"

"Sure you did," Shikamaru said as his smirk spread over his face. "Let's set up the board and then we'll see."

Xxx A Month of Training 7 xxX

Sakura found herself stretching outside as she waited for Gai-sensei to show up. Last night he had said he would be bringing something special with him tonight, and Sakura wasn't sure if she should be excited, or dread what he was going to bring with him.

"Sakura-Chan!" Sakura heard Gai's voice carry through the backyard and she couldn't help but grin. Gai's training had been difficult, but she could tell she was improving every day. That along with all her other training sessions were causing Sakura's strength to increase a great deal. It was more than she had ever hoped for when she had started her training.

Turning to Gai-sensei, Sakura raised an eyebrow as she saw someone else follow behind Gai.

"I brought Tenten-Chan with me tonight!" Gai said with a large grin as he motioned to the bun headed girl. Sakura smiled at Tenten before looking to Gai.

"Why is Tenten-san here, Gai-sensei?" Sakura questioned with an eyebrow raise. Was she going to help her train?

"Tenten-Chan is a weapon mistress," Gai said with a large grin. "She'll be working on target practice while you work on dodging, evasion, and speed!"

"Wait," Sakura said with a slight frown. "You mean Tenten is going to-"

"I promise to try not to throw them too hard," Tenten said with a grin and a shrug. "And it will really work on your evasion skills… I used to throw kunai at Lee all the time."

"Oh," Sakura said no enthusiasm at all. "This'll be… interesting then."

Tenten laughed at her response. "I think I'm going to like training with you Sakura-Chan!"

"Alright ladies," Gai said with a nod to the two girls. "I'm going to increase the weights you're wearing Sakura-Chan while I blindfold Tenten-Chan. Your weights will be going up by a significant amount, but you'll get to put back your other weights as soon as we're done with this part of the exercise."

Sakura nodded as she took the weights from Gai-sensei. The weights in her arms felt almost double from what she currently had on. Unwrapping her weights, Sakura quickly placed the others on before she stretched out her muscles to try to get used to them.

Sakura looked over to Gai-sensei when she was done. "Alright Sakura-Chan," Gai said with a nod as he wrapped a blindfold around Tenten's eyes. "This is an exercise where you need to be moving at all times. Be warned, Tenten-Chan has done this before."

Sakura found herself nodding before she concealed her chakra. It had been something she had been working on more and more after she had been in the Forest of Death. Orochimaru had been able to conceal his chakra completely, and that was something Sakura wanted to work for. She knew she would be nowhere near a Sannin's level, but she really did have good chakra control, and had some faith in her abilities.

"Yosh!" Gai-sensei said with a yell. "Start!"

Sakura thought she would have a few seconds to get her bearings, but she was wrong. Tenten sent kunai and senbon flying toward her a moment after Gai had told them to begin. Sakura threw her weight backwards as she sloppily dodged the projectiles.

Rolling to her right, Sakura tried to move as quickly as she could while Tenten's weapons seemed to b-line straight toward her.

How did she know where she was, Sakura asked herself while she got to her knees in time to dive out of the way of another wave of kunai. The added weights weren't helping her dodging skills at all…

It wasn't her chakra signature that was for sure. During Tenten's battle with Kankuro, she had not been able to sense the chakra strings Kankuro had attached to her weapons. That made Sakura believe that Tenten was _that_ good at sensing chakra.

Swerving to the left, Sakura felt like she could hit two birds with one stone if she practiced some of her kenjutsu katas while she dodged Tenten's attacks.

Grabbing her tanto from its sheath, Sakura flipped backwards as she spun herself in the air. Feeling the added weight on her limbs, Sakura tried to over compensate and ended up flipping too far. As Sakura's feet landed on the ground, she twisted her right ankle before throwing her body to the ground to avoid another round of senbon.

Sakura knew she wouldn't be able to dodge the next barrage of kunai, so she gripped her tanto in defense as she got ready to deflect the attack.

Just as the weapons were getting closer to her, Gai appeared in front of her and deflected the attack. "Alright," Gai said with a nod. "That's good for now Tenten-Chan. Why don't you take the blindfold off and explain to Sakura why you could sense her even though she had hid her chakra… Sakura-Chan I want you to rest your ankle!"

"I'll just wrap it and it'll be fine," Sakura said with a small wince as she tugged off her shoe. Grabbing some bandages that were in her pouch, Sakura slowly started to wrap up her ankle as Tenten kneeled beside her.

"I wasn't able to sense your chakra," Tenten said as she kicked her legs out and got more comfortable. "But I was using my own senses to sense other things. You're not always going to be able to depend on your ability to sense chakra, or even see. You're going to have to use your other senses to try to feel out your opponent."

"You were able to hear me," Sakura concluded with a frown as she finished wrapping up her ankle. She flexed her foot slightly and was happy to note that it didn't really hurt. "Were you able to hear my breathing, or my feet moving?"

"Both," Tenten said with a grin. "And the weights shifting on your body. You didn't tighten them enough, so I was able to hear their weight shift."

"You must have really good hearing," Sakura said as she shifted her weight to stand up.

"Well I've practiced this a lot," Tenten said with a shrug. "Neji is even better at this than I am. You should ask him to come tomorrow Gai-sensei."

"Ah," Gai said with a grin. "I doubt Neji-kun would want to train here because Sasuke-kun also lives here. He wouldn't want to give his completion any type of idea as to what he is working on."

"You live with Sasuke-san?" Tenten asked in surprise.

"And Naruto-kun and Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said with a laugh at the look on Tenten's face. Sakura could only laugh harder when she felt Tenten lay a hand on her shoulder.

"I feel so bad for you," Tenten said with a shake of her head. "Do you have any girl time at all?"

"Ehrm," Sakura said with a frown as she tried to think of any females that were in her life. "No…"

"I'm not a girly girl Sakura," Tenten said with a frown. "But even I need some time away from the guys. We should meet for lunch once in a while."

"Okay," Sakura said with a nod and a smile. "I'd like that."

"So youthful!" Gai said with tears falling down his cheeks. "I don't really want to interrupt, but if you're ready Sakura-Chan, I think we should start training again!"

"Okay," Sakura said as she tightened the weights on her body. She had listened to what Tenten had said, and she was going to be as quiet as she could this time around.

Concealing her chakra first, Sakura flashed Tenten a grin before Tenten put the blindfold back on. Remembering Tenten's words, Sakura tried to slink away from her position as quietly as she could.

"Start!" Gai said after a few moments.

Halting her breathing, Sakura waited for Tenten to make the first move. Grinning to herself, Sakura reached for her kunai pouch as Tenten stood still; it was obvious the girl was trying to find her. If she could make noise in the opposite direction of herself it might make-

Sakura's hand got caught in the pouch as she tried to grab a kunai, and Sakura knew she was going to pay for it. Flipping to the right to dodge the kunai Tenten sent toward her, Sakura rolled out of the way as she followed the attack up with a bunch of shuriken.

Once she was a good ten feet from the spot she had previously been in, Sakura gripped the kunai in her hand and calmed her breathing.

It was a little erratic, and Sakura knew Tenten would find her soon enough if she kept going at this pace. Throwing her kunai to Tenten's right, Sakura saw Tenten hesitate before she sent some kunai in the direction that Sakura's kunai had gone in.

Knowing she wouldn't have much time, Sakura brought her hands together to create a shadow clone. She knew the fare in her chakra would alert Tenten to where she was, but she had a strategy she was wanting to try.

Instead of concealing her chakra again, Sakura willed the clone to conceal their's. Jumping away from where the clone stood, Sakura watched as Tenten's body turned to where she had been and sent some shuriken her clone's way…

Grinning at her successful plan, Sakura flipped backwards a few times before finding a tree to stand in. She waited until one of Tenten's shuriken had dismissed her clone before she concealed her chakra again.

She knew Tenten had spent too much time paying attention to her clone to realize where she had gone. It would make it that much harder to find her.

Watching Tenten's brow furrow, Sakura knew she was trying to concentrate on to where Sakura was currently hiding. It would take her a few more moments, hopefully, because Sakura was trying to piece through a new strategy that would hopefully catch Tenten off guard.

Just as an idea popped into Sakura's head, Sakura was rolling to the side. She dodged a senbon that Tenten had thrown out to test the waters. The bun headed girl had thrown out many senbon in all directions, and she had been lucky enough to guess where Sakura had been hiding.

Knowing Tenten would be finding her soon, Sakura brought her hands together quickly as a large axe was sent hurtling her way.

With a poof of smoke, Sakura switched places with a log a few feet behind Tenten. Running forwards hoping to catch Tenten off guard, Sakura tried to sweep her legs out from under Tenten, but was stopped when Gai appeared.

"Good job!" Gai said as a proud gleam appeared in his eyes. "You were both wonderful! I can't believe your strategy was so thought out Sakura-Chan! Kakashi was certainly right when he said you were a good strategist."

"Thanks," Sakura said with a slight pant and a grin. The weights on her limbs were really taking their toll, and Sakura couldn't wait to put her other ones back on.

"And Tenten-Chan!" Gai continued to praise the two. "Your idea of throwing out senbons in different directions was smart! Were you throwing them out randomly, or had you heard movement where you had thrown them?"

"I thought I had heard something there," Tenten said with a shrug as she took off her blindfold. "I thought I would end up hitting you Sakura!"

"Alright ladies!" Gai said with his usual cheerful self. "Now that we've worked on that exercise, we're going to switch places! Sakura-Chan you're up for the blindfold, and Tenten-Chan get ready for the weights."

Sakura heard Tenten groan as she gave her the weights in exchange for the blindfold. There was still a burning sensation in her muscles from the weights, but Sakura was more than happy to have her old weights back. Tying the weights tightly, Sakura grabbed the blindfold before she reached into her pouch for her kunai.

"You can use these ones," Gai said as he put another kunai pouch into her hand. Sakura wrapped the kunai pouch around her other thigh before thanking him.

"I almost forgot there was poison coating my weapons," Sakura said with a sheepish sigh. Grabbing one of the weapons Gai had given her, Sakura waited for Gai to say begin.

"Now," Gai said cheerfully. "It would be too easy if I let you scan for Tenten-Chan's chakra, Sakura-Chan, so I'm going to forbid you from doing it. Use your other senses!"

Frowning, Sakura nodded her head in understanding before she got herself into a ready position. Gai-sensei had just made it a lot harder to find and potentially hit Tenten.

"Alright," Gai-sensei said. "Begin!"

Sakura waited for a moment before she felt like she heard something to the left of her. Throwing a kunai, Sakura frowned when she heard Tenten's laugh coming from the opposite direction.

Yes… this was going to be much harder than she had originally thought.

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><p>Sending love and a quart of lutefisk for "good feelings" to all! Hopefully you all enjoyed that little training session, and the little Shika and Saku fluff! I tried not to make it too cutesy, and I'm actually pretty proud of it : )<p>

Question: Who do you want to see Sakura train with next? Try to pick someone she has not trained with yet in the story! : )


	33. A Month of Training 8

Hey everyone! You seriously are amazing! Twenty reviews in 12 hours? I needed to update again as a big thank you to you!

Thank you to everyone who shared their ideas with me on who they think Sakura should train with next! I won't be able to make all of them happen, but maybe down the road, after the Chuunin exams I can have Sakura work with a few more of them! Thanks to: Shiki de Uchiha, Macel, InazumaSenshi, TheseBattleScars, StarKiss666, cutehoney4, Rikka-tan, Love anime 95, Guess23, DevilToBeLoved, Guest, Guest, and Guest! lol

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 33: A Month of Training 8

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><p>Sakura found herself being woken rather abruptly for the second time in a few days. Frowning, Sakura turned to the presence that was in her room, but kept her eyes closed.<p>

"Kaka-sensei?" Sakura sleep-filled mind couldn't quite say Kakashi's whole name… Training with Gai-sensei and Tenten last night had been a long experience. She had struggled a lot more than she wanted to admit with using her other senses.

She'd have to find someone who was good at using their senses to train with, Sakura thought with a sigh as she felt another poke on her shoulder.

"Sakura-Chan?" Kakashi questioned in a soft tone. Opening her eyes, Sakura's connected with Kakashi's lone grey one. He was kneeling next to her bed, and Sakura found herself only a foot or so away from his face.

"I'm awake," Sakura grumbled with a slight glare. From the change in Kakashi's face, Sakura knew the glare didn't work; it probably only made her look adorable. Kakashi's hand ruffled Sakura's pink hair, and she frowned.

"I wanted to work with you on genjutsu today," Kakashi said with a slight shrug as he sat up from his pervious spot. "I'm meeting with the Hokage during our usual team training time, so I wanted to make sure we got our training in."

"Can't we train after your meeting with the Hokage?" Sakura asked as she wrapped the blankets tighter around her body.

"…Well if you don't want to train with me today," Kakashi said with a pout as he walked toward the door. "I guess I could wake up Sasuke-kun, or Naruto-kun… I bet they'd want to train with their sensei."

Sakura groaned quietly as she stood up… Kakashi was such a good guilt-tripper. Throwing her blankets off, Sakura rolled out of bed with a frown. "I'm up," Sakura said as her feet hit the floor. "And I'm getting ready."

"That's my girl," Kakashi said with a chuckle as he headed out her door. Sakura frowned at him, but went to grab some clothes to put on.

She had been wearing the boys' clothes a lot lately, and even though they were super comfortable, they were also all super dirty. Shaking her head slightly, Sakura grabbed a dark green vest, a mesh tank top, and some brown shorts.

The green vest had the Haruno clan symbol on the back and had a high collar. She hadn't worn this particular vest before, but that was only because it looked fairly new. She didn't remember ever buying it either…

Looking to her bedroom door, Sakura wondered if her sensei had gone clothes shopping for her. The idea sounded ridiculous to her, but maybe he had been trying to be sweet? She wasn't quite sure what he did all day any ways. He had said that he wasn't taking missions for a while, but that didn't mean he couldn't be taking missions inside the village.

Sakura chuckled to herself as she pictured Kakashi-sensei chasing a very scared Tora around the village. She thought that his ninja dogs would make it easy to find her… they would probably make it very easy to find anyone! She'd have to ask him if he had been serious about letting her sign the contract with them later.

Throwing on her clothes and weights, Sakura felt her limbs ache, but she ignored it as she walked out her bedroom door. She had been getting used to the familiar ache of her limbs after she had trained with Gai-sensei.

Heading down the stairs, Sakura found Kakashi in the kitchen. He was drinking tea happily through his mask and had another steaming cup in front of him. Sakura nodded her head in thanks and started to sip the tea slowly.

"So what are we going to work on today?" Sakura asked after she took another sip of her tea. It was a morning ritual Sakura had found herself falling into easily; having at least one cup of tea before she left the house.

"Genjutsu," Kakashi said as his lips turned upward. "But you already knew that Sakura-Chan."

"I meant what type," Sakura said with her own grin. "You've already taught me the hell viewing technique, so I wanted to know what other genjutsu I could learn."

"After you learn one of the lower level genjutsu the other basic ones are kind of easy to learn," Kakashi said with a shrug. "The next genjutsu we should do could be the complete opposite of the hell viewing technique. It's called the heaven viewing technique and it causes the person affected to see something they really want to see."

"Why couldn't you have trained us on that one instead of the hell viewing technique?" Sakura found herself asking with a frown. Kami, it would have made it a lot easier mentally for the whole team if he had.

"Because I want you to be ready for anything," Kakashi said seriously as he set his tea cup down. "There are people, even in Konoha, that are not nice ninja… if they get the chance they will not go easy on you, Sakura-Chan."

"Are you talking about Gaara?" Sakura asked while thinking back to the preliminary matches.

"Gaara is just one of them," Kakashi said with a frown. "Some people… people even within this village would do anything to hurt someone else… I just want to prepare you, Sasuke, and Naruto for anything."

People in our own village, Sakura thought to herself, who could he be talking about? Deciding to focus on that thought later, Sakura set her tea cup down in the sink and went to put on her ninja sandals. She felt Kakashi follow behind her easily; he turned off the lights as he went.

"Did you leave a note for the boys?" Sakura asked as the two walked out the front door. She hadn't realized they were going to train outside of the backyard, but it made sense. It was still very early, and she knew Naruto and Sasuke needed their sleep. Training near the house would probably have caused both boys to wake up.

"Something like that," Kakashi said with a secretive grin as he continued their walk to the training grounds. Kakashi's comment had caused Sakura's interest to pique, but she only shook her head at her sensei's antics.

Once the two arrived at their typical training ground, Sakura sat down on the ground and started to stretch. She wiggled her right ankle experimentally to see how it was recovering from the previous night; it seemed to be holding up fine.

"So how do we do this?" Sakura questioned from her seat on the ground.

"So there are only two hand signs for this technique," Kakashi said as he sat in front of Sakura. He made two hand signs to show her what they were but didn't add any chakra.

"So instead of snake rat, it's rat snake?" Sakura asked as she found herself mimicking Kakashi's hand signs without using chakra.

"Yes," Kakashi said as he stopped making the hand signs. "Just like the hell viewing technique, this jutsu will envelop the target in an illusion of swirling leaves. After it connects with the person, the jutsu will draw out something from deep within their heart that they really want to see."

"Are you going to test it out on me first?" Sakura asked as she stopped her own hand signs. There were only two, but after training with Izumo, Sakura had found that making the hand signs for jutsu before adding chakra always made it easier to do the technique.

"Yep," Kakashi said with a nod. "And I know you'll want to disrupt the illusion right away, but I want you to see and feel how it works. After a few minutes of being inside the genjutsu I will insert my chakra into your body to disrupt the technique. Understand?"

"I do," Sakura said with a nod as she closed her eyes. Two seconds after that, she felt the chakra around her shift and she knew she was being put under Kakashi's genjutsu.

When Sakura opened her eyes, the leaves were twirling around her, and she stood to prepare herself for what would come next.

Kakashi had disappeared, but she could feel his chakra only a few feet away. That's the way the genjutsu worked; it hid the user's body from the victim.

Looking around, Sakura found herself confused. When was the technique going to start? She had been under it for a few-

"Sakura-Chan," Sakura sucked in a deep breath before turning around and coming face to face with an image of her parents. Both were exactly as she had remembered them, and they weren't the only ones that were standing there.

Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Kakashi all stood off to the sides of them. All of her important people were there and Sakura felt something in her chest flutter.

"We finally got back from our trip!" Her mother said excitedly as she took a few quick steps toward Sakura.

It's only an illusion, Sakura chanted to herself as she felt her mother's arms wrap around her. She squeezed her eyes shut as she felt her heart break slightly.

"You'd be really proud of Sakura-Chan!" Kakashi said with a grin. "She's gotten so strong in the time you were away! We're certainly proud of her, right boys?"

"Hn," Sasuke said with a nod and Naruto cheered; Shikamaru just smiled his lazy smile in agreement. Their praise was something Sakura had been looking for, but as her mother's arms tightened around her, Sakura couldn't help but to shake slightly.

Her parents had died over a month ago, and Sakura still hadn't done or found anything really useful to discover who had killed them (other than Orochimaru) or how they had been killed… she had been focused on getting stronger, but in doing so she had been neglecting her duties as their daughter. When was the last time she had gone to the cemetery to bring them flowers? When was the last time she prayed for them?

Biting her lip tightly to keep the tears at bay, Sakura felt the genjutsu flicker in and then out, and her mother's arms that had been wrapped so tightly around her faded into nothing.

Sakura quickly tried to rid herself of the guilt that coursed through her… looking to Kakashi, she quickly apologized.

"I'm sorry Sensei," Sakura said as she looked to the ground. "I didn't mean to disrupt the genjutsu… I just kind of did it without thinking."

"What did you see, Sakura?" Kakashi's voice was soft and she knew he could feel how much the genjutsu had affected her.

"My parents…" Sakura said as she brought her eyes up from the ground to connect with Kakashi's lone one. "And Team seven and Shikamaru-kun… you were all there around me."

"You parents…" Kakashi's voice was sad, and Sakura knew that he felt guilty now. "I'm sorry Sakura-Chan… I didn't think that the genjutsu would affect you as much as it did."

"It's not your fault," Sakura said with a small shrug as she wiped a lone tear that fell from her eye. The image that she had just seen had only been an illusion… it hadn't been real. "Let's get back to training."

Kakashi sighed. "Alright," he said. "Were you able to get an understanding of what I did with my chakra as it entered your system?"

"Yes," Sakura said while losing herself into the idea of training… she'd think about grabbing flowers for her parents after the session with Kakashi. "I was able to detect when you put me under the genjutsu. It was subtle, but I'm assuming you held back less of your chakra so I would be able to feel it."

"You're so smart Sakura-Chan," Kakashi said with an eye crease as his cheeks lifted upward. "Now I want you to try the genjutsu on me, okay?"

"Got it."

Xxx A Month of Training 8 xxX

It was midmorning when Sakura had finally decided to leave the training grounds. Kakashi had said he needed to meet up with Jiraiya to talk about Naruto's training, and then he had said he was going to check on Anko and Sasuke. He hadn't sounded too pleased with the last part, but Sakura ignored it.

After training for a few hours on genjutsu with Kakashi-sensei, Sakura had found herself able to complete the jutsu relatively easily. Kakashi had been right in stating it was just like the hell viewing technique, and Sakura wondered if all low-class leveled genjutsu would be this simple to do.

Heading down the streets of Konoha, Sakura quickly headed in the direction of the Yamanaka flower shop. After the genjutsu Kakashi had put her under, Sakura knew she needed to go visit her parent's graves… She hadn't been there since their funeral, and they more than deserved a visit from their only daughter.

Getting closer to the flower shop, Sakura was surprised when she felt her teammate's chakra up ahead of her. Concealing her own, Sakura walked over to the window as her eyes connected with Naruto's back.

She didn't know how long Naruto had been there, but she probably knew the reason… even though she and Sasuke had talked to him about it, Naruto still hadn't got over what Ino had said to him during the preliminaries.

With Naruto's personality she could see Ino's words eating away at him over time… He was trying to show Ino that he wasn't the monster that she thought he was.

Watching Naruto take a step away from Ino, Sakura watched his shoulders slump down in defeat. She couldn't hear the words that were being exchanged, but she could tell that Ino wasn't going to listen to what Naruto was trying to say. The way she had sunk in on herself, Sakura could tell Ino was closed off.

It seemed like Naruto was giving up as he took a few more steps back, and then finally turned and left the flower shop. She knew how upset Naruto was, because the blond didn't even notice her presence.

Feeling a raging fire burn inside of her, Sakura didn't even think twice about walking into the flower shop to meet with Ino.

Ino had tears in her eyes, but seeing Sakura made something snap inside her. Sakura was more than happy to start a yelling match with Ino, if that's what she wanted.

"What are you doing here?" Ino asked with a glare as the tears still glistened in her blue eyes.

"I was going to pick up some flowers," Sakura said. "But after seeing the way you treated my teammate I don't think I want to pick them up from you anymore."

"Well I don't really want to help you anyways," Ino said as she turned away from Sakura.

"What is your problem?" Sakura found herself asking as she watched Ino walk away. "Naruto-kun came in here to talk to you; to try to help you understand that he isn't what you think he is, but you just shut him out! He's my teammate and I know-"

"Of course he's your teammate," Ino said as she turned around quickly with a glare. "And so is Sasuke-kun! You know who isn't your teammate? Shikamaru! But you still hang out and train with him all the time! He never asks me to train with him! Why the hell is your team so close and mine isn't? I bet you haven't even gotten that much stronger even with all the attention!"

"I'm not sorry I've been hanging out with Shikamaru-kun," Sakura said with a frown as she clenched her fist in anger. "And I'm not sorry my team and I are so close… we've all been through a lot and have grown closer together because of it.

"I am sorry that you are so insecure with yourself that you have to question my strength," Sakura said as she let her clenched fist go. Turning toward the door, Sakura started to walk away when she heard a screech.

"Fight me!" Ino yelled in frustration. "You act so strong and cool, but I remember how you used to be Sakura! Deep inside yourself you are still the same insecure little Forehead girl that you always have been!"

"Fine," Sakura said as her anger began to rise again. Who the hell was Ino to question her strength? She didn't know everything Sakura went through every day; she didn't understand all of the blood, sweat, and tears she put into training. "Let's go."

"I'm going to train," Ino called to the backroom. Sakura assumed her mother had been back there… she wondered why her mom hadn't come out sooner when she had heard their heated conversation.

Stepping out of the flower shop, Sakura started to head back the way she had come. She assumed the training grounds she and Kakashi had used earlier would still be empty.

The walk to the training grounds was silent, and it gave Sakura a lot of time to think stuff over and calm down. Ino was being very unconfident, and Sakura could understand why. When the two of them had been younger, Ino had always been the stronger kunochi.

She was sure Ino was trying to prove something to Sakura, but Sakura knew it wouldn't work… Sakura had grown leaps and bounds above what she used to be; she refused to lose to Ino now.

Arriving at the training grounds, Sakura took a few moments to stretch her body and warm up. She noticed Ino looking at her weird before the girl started to stretch a little too.

After feeling warm, Sakura stood from her spot and glanced to Ino. Tilting her head slightly in question, Sakura asked. "Did you want to go all out, or-"

"Everything," Ino said as she gritted her teeth. "I want to beat you with everything you've got."

"You've got it," Sakura said with a nod. "But when I win I want you to give Naruto-kun a real chance… I want you to forgive him for the monster that lives in him. I want you to befriend him."

"Don't be stupid-"

"I'm serious," Sakura said with a glare.

"Fine," Ino said with a snort. "But when I win I want you to stop training and hanging out with Shikamaru!"

"That won't be happening," Sakura said as she nodded to Ino's terms. She had a lot of aggression to take out on Ino, and she refused to lose to the blonde; especially because she had so much at stake.

"Let's begin then," Sakura said as she got into a fighting stance.

"Let's do this!"

Sakura's hands quickly moved and she called upon a shadow clone. Running toward Ino, Sakura and her clone attacked Ino at the same time.

Sakura punched with her right hand while her clone punched with her left; both punches connected with Ino's cheeks and she was sent flying backwards.

"Take me seriously," Sakura said as she and her clone glared to where Ino struggled to get up. Ino's eyes were wide, and Sakura knew it was because Ino didn't know she could make a shadow clone.

"Shut up!"

Sakura and her clone ran forward, ducking quickly as Ino sent a fist toward her face. Sakura's clone swept her legs out from under her, and Sakura quickly followed up the leg sweep with a punch that connected with Ino's stomach.

Sakura heard Ino's breath leave her chest at the strength behind the punch, and Sakura took the time to flip back a few feet and dismissed her clone.

She wouldn't need the clone to help her beat Ino… She just wanted to give Ino a small taste of the things she had been learning.

As Ino stood, she sent a shuriken Sakura's way, and Sakura sent her own to block it. She waited for Ino to run at her again.

Sakura knew Ino's big move was her clan's Mind-Body technique that she had used on Naruto-kun back in the preliminaries… other than that, she wasn't really sure what type of things Ino had up her sleeve.

Ducking under the punch Ino sent to her, Sakura instead sent an uppercut to Ino's chin. Ino barely scrambled out of the way of the hit, and Sakura leaped backwards while bringing her hands together.

She wondered how Ino would react to being put under a genjutsu? Doing the hand signs that she had learned this morning, Sakura concentrated her chakra before she sent the genjutsu toward Ino.

Ino feel to her knees, and Sakura watched her eyes glaze over. Sakura wondered what Ino was seeing in the illusion she had created for her… It brought back the thoughts Sakura had been trying to repress on the genjutsu she had been in this morning.

Sakura didn't even notice when Ino had broken out of her genjutsu as her mind went back to her mother and the tight embrace she had felt from her.

Biting her lip, Sakura froze as she watched Ino's hands morph into the seal for the mind-body jutsu. Just as she was about to leap away, Sakura felt her consciousness leave her in a way that was familiar.

Wait… Sakura thought as she ignored Ino's mind taunting her. She remembered this feeling. During the first part of the chuunin exams she had felt the invasion of another person's chakra, and it had felt just as it did now.

Ino had been the person to invade her consciousness during the first part of the exams! Now it made total sense. Concentrating on the foreign chakra in her body, Sakura sent her chakra into her mind before she felt Ino flinch.

Flaring her chakra into her mind once again, Sakura knew that Ino was having a very hard time holding her own against Sakura. Sakura knew this type of technique wouldn't work against a high caliber Yamanaka member, but she also knew that Ino wasn't a high caliber member.

She had been unconsciously preparing her mind for an invasion like this one; she refused to be unprepared. As Sakura concentrated more, a large image of herself appeared in her mind.

The image loomed over Ino's subconscious until it wrapped its arms around Ino and started to shake her.

"I refuse to lose to you!" The large Sakura said while she threw Ino into the wall of her mind. Ino's eyes widened and she looked scared.

"You're a monster like him!" She accused with wide eyes.

"No," Sakura said with a shake of her head. "But you don't belong here…"

"Release," Ino yelled while the large image loomed over her form again.

Sakura was able to open her eyes to see Ino starting to stir in her own body. Before Ino could do anything, Sakura ran behind her, and pressed her hand to the back of Ino's neck.

Ino immediately froze as she felt the touch of Sakura's fingers on her neck.

"I could have used a kunai," Sakura said with a shrug as she kept her fingers in place. "But I'm not a monster Ino… Neither is Naruto-kun. There is a lot about Naruto-kun that you don't know, but now that you've lost you're going to give him the chance to explain it to you."

"I'm not-"

"You are," Sakura said as she took a step away from Ino. Ino was panting deeply with exhaustion, and Sakura knew it was because she hadn't been training nearly as much as Sakura had. Sakura's breathing had increased a little, but Sakura knew she could have kept going if she needed to. The difference between their ability levels was apparent, and Sakura felt a sense of pride swell in her chest. "You've lost Ino, and you know it…"

"How?" Ino asked quietly while she looked to her hands. "How did you get so strong?"

"It was a lot of work," Sakura said with a slight grin. "I train with a lot of different people on a lot of different things… I'm sure if you did too, Ino, then you'd get a lot stronger too."

Sakura left Ino kneeling in the training grounds as she headed back toward the Yamanaka flower shop. She knew Ino had a lot to think about, and she had some flowers to buy.

Xxx A Month of Training 8 xxX

Sakura found herself in the cemetery an hour or so after she had left the training grounds. It had taken her a while to find the types of flowers she wanted to bring to her parent's graves, but once she had found them she knew they'd be perfect. Forget-me-nots and pansies were her flowers of choice; one for remembrance and the other for loving thoughts.

Walking to her parent's headstone, Sakura smiled before placing the bouquet of flowers down; leaning down, Sakura ran her fingers over their names.

"Hn," She heard a voice from behind her, and Sakura froze when she felt a familiar dark chakra signature. "You didn't sense me again…"

"You seem to always find me when I'm lost in my thoughts," Sakura responded as she stood up and turned.

Gaara looked exactly like he had the last time she had seen him. He had dark black circles around his eyes, and he was very pale. She found herself to be curious about what he had been doing for training…

After her comment, the two remained silent. She wondered if he was just going to watch her, before she turned back to the headstone. Letting herself smile slightly, Sakura patted the headstone once before she headed out of the cemetery.

"What did they mean?" She heard Gaara ask as she passed him. Following his gaze, Sakura noticed he was looking at the flowers that she had placed next to the headstone.

"Remembrance and loving thoughts," Sakura said as she shrugged. "To show that I will never forget them and that I will always love them."

"That's stupid," Gaara stated emotionlessly. "To feel love for people who were so weak… to have died and left you alone… You should only love yourself."

"I'm not alone," Sakura said with a sad smile as she started to walk again. Within a second Gaara appeared before her, and Sakura knew he wanted to know what she meant by that. "I have my team and my friends… I'm never alone."

"Unneeded attachments," Gaara commented with a slight snarl as he glared dangerously toward Sakura. Sakura frowned but held Gaara's gaze.

"Having people to help support you and help you become strong is not an unneeded attachment," Sakura said while she turned away from him to start walking. "Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, and Kakashi-sensei are my family now, and even though my parents are dead I still hold them very dear to me. They are one of the reasons I want to become stronger… I want to be able to protect my important people."

"Connections make you weak," Gaara said and it seemed like he was losing his cool. Feeling more than unsafe being alone with Gaara, Sakura took a few more steps away from him.

"I have found my connections have only made me stronger," Sakura said as she continued to walk down the path. She could see the exit gate and felt safer when she saw a few people enter the area. "I don't know why you think connections make you weak, but they don't… Having someone to depend on, someone to encourage you when you need it most, and someone to lean on when you need to cry… I think it makes life a little easier to not be alone."

Turning back, Sakura watched as Gaara's sand swirled and he disappeared from view. Raising an eyebrow, Sakura concentrated but didn't feel Gaara's chakra anywhere near her… She wondered what she had said to scare him off.

* * *

><p>By the way, I posted a poll on my profile for Sakura and this fic! Ifwhen this story develops more in the romance department, I want to know who you would want Sakura to end up with! : )


	34. A Month of Training 9

Hello all! I'm still amazed at the fact that you all gave my last two chapters a combined 59 reviews! WOW! I love you, I love all of you!

So to hopefully stop the confusion: the poll that had been on my profile was me just having a bit of fun. I wanted to see your opinion on who you wanted to see Sakura with in this story! I posted a new one on my profile a few nights ago, and I actually had to do a bunch of research to come up with all the 98 of the characters lol.

This chapter is dedicated to: BetterThanAHeartAttack, thefandomatemyfeels, Toreh, Vesperchan, Writing-Fantasy, Lerris, and my always energetic and organized Beta Art-Chan!

P.S. There will only be a few more chapters of training, so bear with me if you are getting a little impatient to see the matches! Art-Chan and I have a few more things we need to happen before the matches begin : )

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 34: A Month of training 9

* * *

><p>Sakura found herself on her usual path to the Nara compound. She only had a little under two weeks left until the matches began, and Sakura had a lot of things she still wanted to figure out.<p>

She wasn't headed to the compound for her typical Go match though. She and Shikaku had been working together on trying to develop a new poison that could be beneficial in the upcoming exams.

Of course she had been surprised at Shikaku's willingness to help her develop a poison especially because she was facing Shikamaru in the chuunin exam, but Shikaku had waved her off and mumbled something about her being able to push his son to work harder.

She hoped she'd be able to push Shikamaru in their upcoming fight. Shikamaru was a genius, and even if she planned out their battle with twenty different scenarios, Shikamaru was probably planning twenty times that many.

Continuing her walk, Sakura decided she'd have to talk to Kakashi-sensei more on what she should do with Shikamaru.

She had gone through his weaknesses and had tried to plan for each of them. For one, Shikamaru was definitely lazy… when he wasn't determined (which he would probably be for this battle), he cared for others, and his jutsu had limits. She wasn't sure what limits those were, but she knew they had limits.

She'd have to test some theories out during their match, which made Sakura both nervous and excited.

She had half a mind to ask Shikaku about it, but then again she thought it wouldn't be fair if she did. She knew Shikaku wasn't telling Shikamaru about what they were working on, so she didn't want to push her luck and ask him about Shikamaru's range with his shadow jutsu.

Walking through the Nara compound, Sakura smiled as she felt Shikamaru's chakra flicker in a field to the left of her. She'd go and visit, but then again he had been getting more serious with the little time left they had to train.

Sakura could find the Clan Head house with her eyes closed, so when she found herself at the front door, she didn't even blink. Knocking once, Sakura heard Yoshino's voice yell at her to come in.

As she entered the house, Sakura heard the matriarch's voice from the kitchen. "You know you don't even need to knock anymore Sakura-Chan," Yoshino said from the kitchen. Sakura could hear plates clinking together and assumed the woman was doing dishes.

"I can't just do that," Sakura said with a self-conscious smile. "This isn't my home."

"Not yet," Yoshino hmmed under her breath, and Sakura had to do a double take to see if the woman had said anything at all.

"What was that?" Sakura asked as she walked through the kitchen to meet up with Shikaku. Had she heard the older woman right?

"Oh nothing Sakura-Chan," the older woman said with a charming smile. Sakura couldn't help but look at the older woman weird.

"Leave the girl alone Yoshino," Shikaku grumbled as he appeared next to the basement door. He turned his attention from his wife to Sakura. "Are you ready to finish up? I think we're almost ready to test out the poison we've been developing."

"Yep," Sakura said with a grin as her mind went to the poison they had been working on. She had wanted something that was fast acting, even more so than the poison she had been using earlier. After everything that had happened in the Forest of Death, Sakura wanted to develop a poison that could work on Orochimaru. She doubted she'd ever have a chance to use it on him, but she hoped… she still had a lot to pay him back for.

Shikaku slouched as he headed down to the lab in the basement, and Sakura followed a few feet behind him.

"Have you worked on the mixture any more since yesterday?" Sakura found herself asking as she walked over to the mixing table. There was a beaker set up with a familiar looking clear liquid on the table.

"Nope," Shikaku drawled as he found a stool to sit on. "I figured you'd want to be here for this."

"Or you didn't want to have to do it and waited for me to," Sakura said good-naturedly as she grabbed a few different liquids from a different able. The liquids were labeled, and Sakura knew what was inside. She'd been doing this with Shikaku for a while now, and she was getting the hang of actually mixing and combining different ingredients of poisons.

"Ah," Shikaku said as an amused light shone in his eyes. "Sometimes I think you're too smart for your own good."

"I bet you say that to Shikamaru-kun all the time," Sakura said as she grabbed an eye dropper.

"You'd be surprised," Shikaku said with a raised eyebrow. "That boy can do some pretty dumb things at times."

"Like what?" Sakura asked as she took the eye dropper and grabbed a few drops of liquid from the blue liquid that was in her hand.

"Oh nothing," Shikaku said with a grin. "I like your new vest by the way…"

"I didn't even know I had it actually," Sakura said with a shrug as she added the blue drops to a completely new beaker. Grabbing a different eye dropper, Sakura grabbed a few drops from the clear liquid. "I found it in my closet the other day."

"Aa," Shikaku said, and Sakura wasn't sure if she liked the tone he used or not… It was almost like Shikaku knew something she didn't. Sighing, Sakura decided to ignore him. Sometimes Shikaku just knew more than she did.

Xxx A Month of Training 9 xxX

Sakura was headed to the training grounds feeling oddly unsettled. She had set some time away from training with her usual people to train on using her senses by herself. She had thought of a few people she'd want to train with using her senses, but she hadn't been able to find them, so she figured she'd train on her own for now.

She wasn't completely used to training by herself anymore. It was a weird feeling, but Sakura figured if she wanted to get stronger she should maybe work on her own.

Arriving at the training grounds, Sakura found an empty grounds before beginning her stretches. She went through the basic stretches, and then a few katas Gai-sensei had been teaching her.

After feeling sufficiently warm, Sakura brought her hands together to make two shadow clones. She'd need "people" to work on the training Gai had started showing her.

Grabbing her headband, Sakura wrapped it around her eyes before taking a deep breath and trying to concentrate on her other senses.

The sense of touch came to her the easiest, and Sakura concentrated on the feeling of wind that surrounded her form. It was soothing and felt good compared to the usual warm air of July.

Taking a step back as she felt the difference in the air shift, Sakura heard the kunai connect with the ground in front of her. Twirling backwards, Sakura concentrated on her hearing sense next.

She could hear the wind blowing the leaves on the trees, a squirrel running a few yards back, one of her clones a few yards in front of her…

Sakura was quick to dodge the senbon that her first clone threw at her, and leaped backwards to dodge the shuriken from her second. She was getting better at this, but not as good as she wanted.

Feeling a kunai slice her forearm, Sakura had to agree with her previous thought.

Hearing footsteps a few yards away, Sakura grabbed her own kunai and quickly threw it in the direction of the sound. Hearing a confused yip, Sakura frowned and removed her forehead protector. Her eyes were wide when she realized what, or who she had just thrown the kunai at.

"I'm sorry Akamaru," Sakura said as she walked over to the scared pup. She hoped he wasn't bitter about the kunai, or their match in the preliminary rounds.

Noticing the wag of his tail as she approached, Sakura figured he wasn't. Kneeling down, Sakura rubbed the top of Akamaru's head before picking up the kunai that lay a foot in front of Akamaru; the pup had obviously dodged the kunai, because she had been pretty confident it would have hit its mark.

"Whatcha doing Akamaru?" Sakura heard Kiba's voice as he walked through a few bushes. She turned as she patted the top of Akamaru's head again.

"Hey Kiba," Sakura greeted with a smile as she stood back up from her knees. "What are you and Akamaru doing?"

"Oh hey Sakura," Kiba greeted with a slight twitch of a smile. She knew Akamaru wasn't bitter about the battle they had shared, but was Kiba's pride still a little hurt? She hadn't been the nicest to him, and he had seemed pretty confident before their battle.

"I was just helping Shino train," Kiba said with a grin as Shino followed behind Kiba. Sakura smiled at the other boy. "I want him to be able to beat that chick from the Sand Village."

"Ah, Temari," Sakura said as she remembered the dirty blonde's name. "Yeah… she did seem pretty strong in her preliminary battle. I'm trying to figure out how to beat Shikamaru… and then Gaara."

"That guy is creepy, right Shino?" Kiba said with a shiver as he looked back to his teammate. Sakura heard Akamaru whimper in response. "Do you remember what he did in the Forest of Death?"

"It would be hard to forget," Shino agreed quietly while turning back to Sakura. Sakura was never sure if Shino was looking at something or not, so even though he had turned in her direction she wasn't sure if he was looking at her or not. The sunglasses on his eyes hid a lot, but so did his overly large coat. "What are you doing to prepare, Sakura-san?"

"A lot actually," Sakura said with a shrug as she tried to keep it vague. If she was able to beat Shikamaru and then Gaara, she would be facing Shino next… Shino wasn't even on her radar at the moment, however. "I've been working on-"

At that point in time, one of Sakura's clones shot a kunai toward her, and Sakura was able to jump back to dodge it. Frowning when her second clone shot senbon needles from the opposite direction, Sakura glared at them before she brought her hands together to dismiss her clones.

"Shadow clones?" Kiba said with an eyebrow raise and a laugh. "I think I know who you've been sparring and training with."

"You'd be right," Sakura agreed with a grin. "Though I've been training with a lot of people lately…"

Remembering Shino's question, Sakura turned to him before smiling. "I was actually using the shadow clones to help improve my senses. It was Gai-sensei's idea."

"Senses?" Sakura watched as Kiba's nose twitched and it caused Sakura's grin to widen.

"Yeah," Sakura said. "He said there may be a point where I can't rely on my ability to sense chakra, so he wants me to work on developing my other senses. Any tips?"

"Concentrate chakra on the sense you want to enhance," Shino said quietly as Kiba's mouth opened and closed; she assumed Kiba had wanted to say something, but Shino got the jump on him. "If you get good enough you should even be able to detect particles in the air… sand particles for instance."

"You're helping-"

"You're both Konoha shinobi," Kiba commented with a shrug. "And I'm pretty sure Shino would rather face you than Gaara in the semi-finals anyways… no offense Sakura."

"I'd rather not face any Sabaku at all," Shino said, "If we're being honest."

"Agreed," Sakura said with a nod as an idea worked through her head. "If you wanted to maybe train a little bit against someone new, let me know. I know Temari and I don't fight the same, but sometimes it's good to fight against someone different sometimes."

"I wouldn't be opposed to that," Shino said.

"Hey!" Kiba said with a slight whine as he was being ignored. "I'll help you guys train too!"

Xxx A Month of Training 9 xxX

Sakura found herself smiling as she sat across the board from Shikamaru. The two had agreed upon a new time to play against each other because they were both becoming busier and busier in the mornings.

Today was a special day though, because Shikamaru was teaching her a new game. Instead of the Go pieces that she was used to, there were now Shogi pieces that were on the board. Shikamaru had explained the basics of the game, and the two were just completing their first mock game.

She had no doubts that she would lose this game just as quickly as she had lost her first game of Go, but she was at least excited to try something different. Strategy-wise, this game was a lot more complex than Go. There were different pieces and each piece moved a different way. The goal of the game was to capture the other person's King or Gyoku, but your opponent's pieces could be captured as well. It was very similar to both chess and checkers in that sense.

"Checkmate," Shikamaru said as he placed his promoted knight in a spot that Sakura's king could not have gotten out of. It was obvious he had been beating her badly through the entire game, but Shikamaru had explained his reasoning for why he had done each and every move he had done.

"I had a feeling that one was coming," Sakura said with a shake of her head. "But that wasn't even a real game. Once I figure out some strategies you better look out."

"I look forward to seeing them," Shikamaru said with a smirk.

"I'm sure you do," Sakura said with her own smirk. "Are you really coming to the hospital to visit Lee-senpai and Naruto-kun with me today?"

"Yeah, I guess," Shikamaru said with a shrug. "You shouldn't go by yourself, and visiting Lee and Naruto wouldn't be too troublesome. Plus I need to make sure Choji's doing okay."

"Troublesome," Sakura said with a slight grin. Whenever he used that word she couldn't take him seriously. "You know Sasuke-kun said he would be going with me, so I won't be going alone."

"I know," Shikamaru said with a sigh. "That's even more reason to go with you."

Sakura's only response was to shake her head as she helped Shikamaru put the Shogi pieces away. Reaching for the last piece, one of her Lances, Sakura's fingers brushed Shikamaru's. She took in a small inhale of breath as she brought back her hand, while she also noticed Shikamaru's ears redden.

Shikamaru seemed to ignore her for a second as she grabbed the Lance and placed it in the box. Hearing the leaves shift behind her, Sakura turned and was surprised to see Shikaku.

"Dad?" Shikamaru questioned his father as he took a few steps into the clearing. The two were outside in the backyard where they had been playing against each other as of late.

"I need you to take this medicine to the hospital," Shikaku said with a smug smile as he looked to the two of them. "Sakura-Chan and I just finished it this morning, and we're hoping it'll help Lee's arm. Since you volunteered to go with her, you can take this too."

"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered and it caused Sakura to grin again. Shikaku handed Shikamaru a container of a greenish goo that Sakura recognized easily. Shikaku had been right when he has said they were working on the medicine just this morning. It had taken them a few days to figure out the right ingredients, but that was only because Shikaku had let Sakura do it herself.

"Yoshino also made this fruit basket for all of the guys," Shikaku said while handing over the basket of fruit to Sakura.

"That was awfully nice," Sakura said with a smile as she looked at the different types of fruit that the basket held; the pineapple made her smile the most.

"Yoshino also wants you to come back over for dinner, Sakura-Chan," Shikaku said with a sigh as he started to head back inside. "I know you're busy, so I told her we might have to wait until after the exams to expect you over."

"That'd be great," Sakura said with a nod. "I'd like to come over for dinner, but you're right; my training schedule is a little crazy. I promise I'll stop over after the exams for dinner."

"Yoshino would appreciate that," Shikaku said with a nod as he continued his walk. "We expect you back for dinner Shikamaru."

"Gotcha," Shikamaru said with a sigh as he watched his father wander off. "Should we get ready to go, Sakura-Chan?"

"Yeah," Sakura said with a nod. "I told Sasuke-kun I'd meet him at the hospital a little before dinner. I think we had planned to grab dinner after seeing Naruto-kun. He has been in the hospital for three days…"

"What even happened to him?" Shikamaru asked as the two walked down the street together.

"He's just been training too much," Sakura said with a slight shrug. She didn't know a lot about his training with Jiraiya-sama, but she knew enough to know it was draining and left him tired. He had missed the past few days of training because he had actually passed out during a session. The last time she had visited him he had still be unconscious.

"Sounds like a certain someone I know," Shikamaru mumbled as he sent Sakura a pointed look.

"I don't train until the point of passing out Shikamaru-kun," Sakura said with a frown as the two continued to walk down the street. The walk to the hospital wasn't so long from Shikamaru's house, and seeing the large building in the distance, Sakura knew they would be there soon.

"At least not yet," a voice spoke up in front of the duo, "But I wouldn't put it passed her."

"You're early Sasuke-kun," Sakura greeted with a wave as she ignored his comment. Sasuke nodded from his spot beside a building wall. Taking a few steps forward, Sasuke started to walk on the other side of Sakura, away from Shikamaru.

"Kakashi-sensei said you'd probably be early," Sasuke said with a look to Shikamaru. "He didn't say you'd be bringing someone…"

"Shikamaru-kun was teaching me how to play Shogi," Sakura said as she passed the fruit basket she was carrying to Sasuke's hands. She grinned when Sasuke took the basket without complaint. "I asked if he wanted to come to the hospital with me to visit Naruto-kun and Lee-senpai and he said yes."

"Hn," Sasuke said while looking over Sakura's shoulder at Shikamaru. Shikamaru smirked before nodding.

"And I planned on visiting Choji too," Shikamaru said as the three continued their way to the hospital.

"Do you think Naruto-kun is awake yet?" Sakura asked the two as the hospital entrance came into view.

"Probably," Sasuke said with a sigh. "Even exhaustion can't keep Naruto down for long."

"But you wouldn't have it any other way," Sakura said with a smile as the three walked up to the hospital door.

"Hn," Sasuke said with a frown. "No… I probably would."

Sakura laughed at Sasuke's deadpanned response before she started to scan the hospital building for a familiar chakra. Finding it easily, Sakura started to head in the direction of the stairs.

"Naruto-kun is upstairs," Sakura said as she nodded toward the stairwell. "Probably a few rooms to the right when you get up there. I'm going to visit Lee-senpai first to make sure he's been listening to the nurses. Can you guys bring down Naruto-kun so he can visit Lee-senpai too?"

Mumbles of "Hn" and "troublesome" were the only responses she got, but she assumed they were both agreeing with her. Hearing them walk to the stairwell to her right, Sakura started to head down the hallway toward Lee's room.

It had been a couple days since she had visited Lee, and she knew he would appreciate the gesture. He also may gain some better spirits seeing both Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun as well; Lee hadn't been his exuberant self the last time she had visited him.

Using her chakra to scan Lee's room to see if he was inside, Sakura froze at the other chakra signature she felt beside Lee's… what was he doing there?

Ignoring the way her gut clenched in fear, Sakura quickened her steps and flung Lee's door open. Finding Gaara standing over Lee's body caused her gut to clench even tighter.

"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked as she took in a deep breath. She could see the sand starting to make its way up Lee's body. Lee must have been sleeping, because she could only see the rise and fall of his chest.

Sakura noticed that she seemed to catch Gaara off guard, because he took a step back and looked at her with slightly rounder eyes.

"Gaara?" Sakura questioned again, this time making sure to say his name. Saying his name seemed to jolt him back into reality, because he took a step forward and crossed his arms over his chest. "What are you doing-"

"I was trying to kill him," Gaara said emotionlessly as he looked from Lee to Sakura.

Sakura's eyes widened in shock, as she looked to Lee who was still asleep on his bed. The sand had started to recede a little, but it was also subtly heading her way… she could hear the shifting of the air, and sense the chakra in the sand around her. Sakura jumped when she felt the door slam shut behind her.

"I want to kill him," Gaara continued as he took a step forward. "I want to break his connections that are so precious to him… I want to break everyone's bonds…"

"But he hasn't done anything to you," Sakura accused as she suddenly felt very cold. It felt as if the temperature had dropped twenty degrees in the small amount of time she had been in the hospital room. "You already beat him in the preliminiary exams… he shouldn't matter to you anymore."

"He doesn't," Gaara snarled as Sakura felt his chakra swirl. Feeling the amount of chakra pumping through Gaara's system caused Sakura to flinch, but feeling his body appear directly in front of her caused her to freeze. "_Nothing_ matters to me."

Sakura shrunk back until her back was against the wall, and she felt Gaara shorten the distance between them. When were her boys going to get here? She could feel the malicious intent radiating off of Gaara in waves… she didn't know how much longer she would be safe here.

"There has to be something that matters to you," Sakura said with a small breath as she felt Gaara's aquamarine eyes stare directly into her emerald.

"I am a monster," Gaara said. "I was born a monster. You said earlier that your friend had a monster placed inside of him and that doesn't make him a monster, but you're wrong. He is a monster, and I am a monster. We are both the same."

"Naruto-kun is not-"

"He is," Gaara nodded with a scary grin on his face. "I kill for pleasure, and he will soon too. You can't change your nature."

"Naruto-kun is not a monster," Sakura said as she glared. She was scared, but she was tired of people calling her teammate something he wasn't. Who were Ino and Gaara to call Naruto-kun a monster? Who was Gaara to even call himself one?

Sakura could tell that there was more to Gaara's story than what he was letting on… If his own siblings were afraid of him, Sakura wondered what type of childhood he had. At that moment, Sakura allowed some of the fear to leave her eyes, and a look of pity washed over herself.

"You're alone," Sakura said as she felt three chakra signatures heading in her direction. It was obvious they hadn't felt Gaara's chakra signature, or else they would be going a lot faster than they currently were. "That's why you don't understand connections or bonds… how long has everyone been afraid of you?"

"You don't-," Gaara started to snarl, but he reached up a hand to his forehead and paused. Something she was saying appeared to be getting through to him, but Sakura wasn't sure what the end result of that would be.

She could feel her teammates and Shikamaru outside of the door now. Sakura wondered how they were going to get in, and if Gaara's sand was still holding the door closed.

As her eyes went from the door to Gaara, Sakura felt a hand appear on her throat. Her eyes widened as she looked into Gaara's eyes… were they turning a different color?

"What are you-"

"You don't know the half of it," Gaara snarled as he squeezed her throat a little tighter. Sakura closed her eyes at the harsh feeling, but she knew it wasn't as tight as he could probably squeeze. "I only need myself, and I only love myself… I don't need connections, and I'd rather be alone."

She could hear the boys at the door now. They were debating on what to do about the door… it was obvious that they _still_ couldn't sense Gaara's chakra… she'd have to work on chakra sensing with all three of them later.

Flaring her chakra twice, Sakura knew that at least Shikamaru and Sasuke would be able to tell that she might be in trouble. The pounding on the door told her attempt had been successful.

"Connections don't make you weak," Sakura said as she focused on Gaara. The boys would hopefully find a way to get inside the room soon; not that she was sure they'd be able to do anything at the moment. "You said you don't have any connections, so how would you know how they make you? They make you so much stronger… If you said you're the same as Naruto-kun, look at the connections he has made, and how strong he is because of them."

At that, the door was thrown open. Sakura could almost smile at the irony; Naruto had been the one to finally get the door open.

Shikamaru, Naruto, and Sasuke raced inside the room, and all stared wide eyed at the situation Sakura was in.

"What the hell are you doing to Sakura-Chan?" Naruto yelled as he ran to punch Gaara in the face. Before he could get there however, Gaara had dropped Sakura, and was now standing in a similar position as Shikamaru.

"Naruto-kun," Sakura said with a slight gasp. "Wait. You can't punch him when he's under Shikamaru-kun's jutus… you'll end up hurting him too."

Sakura held her hand to her throat and flinched; there would be a bruise there, and she was sure Kakashi-sensei wasn't going to like it.

Sighing, Sakura stood from her spot. She was about to speak, but could only watch in silent awe as Gaara turned his glare from her to Naruto, Shikamaru, and Sasuke… and she had thought he was looking at her with a glare.

"Gaara," Sakura said with a slight sigh. "These are my bonds. They're important to me, and I would protect them with my life. That is why I'm going to be facing you and beating you in the final part of the chuunin exams…"

Gaara snarled before setting his eyes on Shikamaru. "Release me."

"I don't think so," Shikamaru said with a shake of his head. "I don't trust you being anywhere near Sakura-Chan… which is why _I'm_ going to be facing you in the exams."

"We're not fighting about this right now," Sakura said with a frown. "I actually don't know what we should do at the moment…"

"Should I get the doctor in charge?" Sasuke suggested as he glared toward the red head. "Attacking anyone before the exams start is supposed to automatically disqualify you…"

Gaara seemed to struggle a little more against Shikamaru's hold, and Sakura could see the sweat building on Shikamaru's brow. Even if this was an awful situation she was glad to be able to see Shikamaru's jutsu in action.

"My jutsu is not going to hold much-"

The shadow that had been connecting Gaara and Shikamaru together receded, and Gaara stood in his normal position; arms crossed over his body. He scanned the group of four in front of him, but held Sakura's gaze a little longer.

"I look forward to breaking more of your bonds," Gaara said as he disappeared, and Sakura was left with a strong sense of foreboding.

Wait… had he just said more of your bonds?


	35. A Month of Training 10

Hey all! I was hoping to get these next few chapters out as quickly as possible, because I know you're all excited for the final matches! I'm going on vacation at the end of this week, so I will try to update while I am gone, but I'm not promising anything! Sorry this chapter is not as long as the last couple chapters!

This chapter is dedicated to: MayhemBunny (wow back surgery! You poor thing! I'm hoping this quick update will help you while you're recovering!), OracleOfTheShadows, Love anime 95 (I promise I will try to update Simply Sakura within the next few weeks!), and LoonyTuned!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 35: A Month of Training 10

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><p>Sakura hadn't been completely okay after the hospital visit, and Sasuke knew even Naruto could tell. Naruto could be as dense as a doornail at times, but he was starting to read Sakura rather well.<p>

He didn't know what had all been said between the two of them while he, the dobe, and the lazy ass hadn't been there, but Sasuke knew that Gaara's parting words had really affected Sakura.

His mind had even raced to the different possibilities as to who Gaara had been talking about… Had Gaara been talking about Lee, or had it been even more serious than that?

Sasuke wasn't trying to understand it right now because the exams were so close, but he was trying to be as supportive to his teammate as possible. Sakura had done so much for the whole team… he felt like he needed to be there for her when she needed him the most.

Finding himself waiting outside of the Nara Clan head house for Sakura, Sasuke found himself waiting as patiently as he could. The lazy ass's mother hadn't invited him in, but had told him Sakura would be done with Shikaku soon.

After what had happened, the three boys had promised themselves they wouldn't let Sakura travel around by herself as much. Sasuke had talked to Kakashi about it the previous night too, and Kakashi had been angry about what had happened, but he had also been on the same page.

They were also increasing all of their training schedules as well, though. For some strange reason, Kakashi had wanted to push Sasuke harder to learn the technique they had been working on for the past few weeks.

Sasuke was more than happy to comply with the rough training schedule, and he knew Naruto was as well. Even after the dobe had passed out learning his "super cool summoning technique", Naruto had continued to push himself. Sasuke wasn't really sure if toads constituted as being super cool, but he'd let the dobe bask in glory for a little while.

Sighing quietly, Sasuke shifted his weight from one foot to another. Even with all of the extra training he and the dobe were getting, Sasuke had still volunteered himself to pick Sakura up for her next training session. She had told him that he was more than welcome to join Kotetsu, Izumo, and her in training with their swords, and he was eager to finally get some kenjutsu training. Plus he hadn't really wanted to let Shikamaru escort her… Shikamaru saw her more than Sasuke wanted any ways.

Kakashi never really used a sword, though Sasuke knew the older man knew how to use one. He never had even thought about asking Anko, because he was lucky to learn anything from that psycho.

Tsking at the thought of his female sensei, Sasuke's mind went to their last training session. It had ended with her cackling wickedly at him when he couldn't complete the complex set of traps she had wanted, and had ended up almost catching himself.

Training with Anko was frustrating, but it brought out a different way of thinking for him that he had never thought about before. He really disliked Anko, but he knew that he was growing and learning under her tutelage. It also helped because she had been that bastard's apprentice at one time…

Sasuke glared at the floor when he thought about the bastard and everything he had done to his teammates in the Forest of Death. Orochimaru's interest in their team was something Sasuke couldn't allow to continue. After being attacked in the Forest of Death, Sasuke had started to work toward a new goal… he was going to kill that bastard for what he had done to his team.

"Why do you look so grumpy, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked as she appeared before him. Sasuke looked up when she appeared, and sighed at his loss of concentration. Sakura always concealed her chakra and it made it very easy for her to sneak up on him, not that he'd ever admit it.

"Hn," Sasuke said with a slight shrug. "It's nothing Sakura. Ready to go?"

"Yeah," Sakura said with a small nod as she got a faraway look in her eye. Sasuke sighed quietly again before he started to head towards Sakura's regular training grounds. Feeling her follow him quickly, Sasuke shoved his hands in his pockets.

"How was your session with Nara?" Sasuke found himself asking as the two continued to walk. She was usually the one to hold the conversations and keep them going, but she seemed to have a lot on her mind. He would try to distract her racing thoughts as much as he could.

"We are working on developing a healing salve with some of the plants from Amegakure," Sakura said with a slight frown.

"What's with the frown?" Sasuke asked with one of his own. She was usually all happy and excited when she talked about creating a new poison or whatever she and the Nara did. He actually tended to tune her out when she was rambling on about that subject… he found the idea of poisons interesting, but didn't really didn't want to deal with the process of making them. Maybe he could ask Sakura to make him one? She was certainly good at it.

"We still don't know all of the functions of some of the plants that were in the storage facility," Sakura said as the two continued their walk. "I actually don't know what a few of the plants are still. It's just a little frustrating sometimes."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," Sasuke said with a slight smile. He had been doing that a lot more lately. In the years prior to team seven, after the massacre he hadn't smiled a lot. After _really_ becoming a team with Sakura and Naruto, Sasuke found it easier to smile.

"Maybe," Sakura said with a shrug as the two continued to walk.

He didn't know what to say to her to make her snap out of it, and he didn't know what else he could talk about to distract her. Seeing that they were nearing her usual training grounds, Sasuke frowned when he spotted her two kenjutsu teachers.

"Ah Sakura-Chan!" Kotetsu said while greeting her warmly. When he and Sakura had walked up to the two chuunin, Sasuke frowned as Kotetsu ruffled Sakura's hair affectionately. Who the hell was this guy to do that to his teammate? "I see you brought your broody teammate today. That's actually a good thing! We can have you two spar using only kenjutsu; Izumo and I can both observe you and help you better."

"That's actually not a bad idea, Kotetsu," Izumo nodded his agreement as he ran his eyes over Sasuke's sword. Sasuke wasn't self-conscious about his sword, but the dark brown eyes of Izumo made Sasuke feel a little judged. "Where did you get your katana Sasuke?"

"Sakura gave it to me," Sasuke bristled as now Kotetsu's eyes were on his sword. Looking to Sakura for help, Sasuke frowned at Sakura's small smirk; she so thought their questions were amusing, didn't she?

"Well that was nice of Sakura-Chan," Kotetsu grinned in amusement, because Sasuke was sure the older nin could feel his discomfort. Kotetsu's grin turned into a pout as he turned toward Sakura. "You've never given me a weapon Sakura-Chan."

"I bring you a different type of syrup to drink every once in a while though," Sakura fought back with a smile. Sasuke let out a sigh of relief at the grin on Sakura's face; that was the teammate he knew and appreciated.

"Mahh," Kotetsu said as his pout increased in size. "But that's not as good as a really nice katana Sakura-Chan."

Izumo frowned while slapping the back of Kotetsu's head. "Stop being an idiot. Why would Sakura-Chan want to give you a katana?"

"Aw," Kotetsu had crocodile tears flowing down his cheeks.

"I haven't been through the attic yet," Sakura said with a small shrug. "You can come over after the exams and see if you want something from there."

"You're the best Sakura-Chan!" Kotetsu said with a grin as he ran up to hug her. Sasuke couldn't help but to grumble at the sight.

Xxx A Month of Training 10 xxX

Naruto grinned while he walked to the training ground with the Teme. His tummy was happily full of ramen that Sakura-Chan had made for dinner. Now he and Sasuke were headed to the training ground to begin their session with Kakashi-sensei together.

Sakura-Chan was going to start training with Gai-sensei back at the house, so Naruto and Sasuke had felt okay to leave her there on her own. They were going to be back after only a few hours anyways.

Naruto had been worried about her ever since he had found her in the room, alone, with Gaara. That stupid red headed jerk. How dare he scare and hurt Sakura-Chan? Naruto hadn't let Sakura-Chan out of his sight for the rest of the day after her encounter with him.

There was something about Gaara that made him feel like the two had a connection, but Naruto had no idea why he would feel that way. It was something inside of him that made him feel that way.

Sighing, Naruto lost his grin as he continued to think back to what had happened to them yesterday. Firstly, it had been totally weird to see Shikamaru and Sasuke together. Even Naruto knew those two didn't get along very well. Sasuke had been glaring at Shikamaru as they entered his room, and Naruto had actually broken out into laughter at seeing Shikamaru's unaffected response.

After Naruto had gotten over the two of them together _without_ Sakura there, Shikamaru had quickly told him Sakura was downstairs visiting Lee, and they would all be headed there next.

At hearing Sakura-Chan's name, Naruto had quickly bounded out of his bed and practically ran down the stairs to see her. He hadn't spent as much time with Sakura-Chan as he had wanted to over the course of the month, but then again Jiraiya had been taking up most of his time.

Arriving at Lee's door first, Naruto hadn't been surprised to find it closed, but he was surprised to find it locked. He had yanked on it, but it still hadn't opened.

It hadn't been until Naruto had felt Sakura flare her chakra (yes he had felt it!) that he had used his strength to pry the door open. The sight he had walked in on had caused the monster inside him to rage with anger.

He still didn't like to think about seeing Sakura in the position Gaara had had her in…

When Ino appeared in his line of view, Naruto wasn't sure if he should be thankful or not. His confrontation (if he wanted to call it that) with Ino the other day still made him feel uncomfortable.

Watching as Ino was walking toward him, Naruto flinched when she stopped in front of him. Sasuke-teme stopped walking and looked at Ino with a small glare; he felt a little better having teme there to support him.

"…Naruto," Ino said with a frown as she glanced up to Naruto, before looking down to the ground. "I… I needed to talk to you… alone."

"Dobe?" Sasuke looked questioning toward Naruto, and Naruto felt even better for Sasuke asking. Sometimes Sasuke-teme wasn't always a teme.

"Its fine Sasuke," Naruto said while he motioned for Sasuke to continue to the training grounds without him. He had no idea what Ino would want to talk with him about, but the fact that she wanted to talk with him was enough. Naruto had thought Ino would never speak with him again after he had tried to talk to her in the flower shop.

"So…" Ino started as her eyes still looked to the ground. "Sakura said I should listen to you… to hear you out. So I'm going to _try. _I don't… I don't like that I'm doing this, but I'm going to do it anyways.

"When I went into your head, I don't know what was in there, but I want to," Ino said with finality as she looked up into his eyes. Of course Sakura-Chan was the one to talk to Ino about him. Sometimes he thought he didn't deserve as good of a friend as Sakura-Chan. "She said you're not a monster, but the thing inside of you is… I just… I just want to understand."

"When I was born a monster was sealed inside of me," Naruto started, because after Sasuke and Sakura had accepted him, it was easier to talk about. He didn't want to tell everyone about it, but Ino had actually _seen_ inside of him. "What you saw inside me… the cage is what houses a monster, and monster inside me."

"A mon-monster?" Ino looked surprised at his openness, but she had also flinched when she had said it. It caused Naruto's frown to worsen. Her voice turned quiet as she asked, "I was right?"

"Kind of," Naruto shrugged awkwardly. "What you saw inside of me was a monster, but like Sakura-Chan said, it's not who I am. Sakura-Chan has been reading a lot about jinchuuriki: people who have beasts inside of them like me."

"Jinchuuriki?" Ino breathed, and Naruto knew he had to somehow lighten the mood somehow, because really it was getting to be too much for him. He had given her enough information to know he wouldn't attack her, and he had even given her something to research if she was really interested.

"Yeah," Naruto said as he started to take a step forward. "But I should probably head to training. Sasuke-teme will probably come back for me soon if I don't head to the training grounds… he'll probably think you've screamed me to death or something."

"You can't kill someone by yelling at them Naruto," Ino said with a small smile and a shake of her head. He knew she had a lot to think about, and hopefully she would do some research on her own, because he didn't have answers to all of the questions that she probably had… He just wanted to tell her to show that he trusted her, even a little bit. "Though I wouldn't mind Sasuke-kun coming back here."

Xxx A Month of Training 10 xxX

Kakashi often times found himself amused when he thought about the situation he was in with his genin team. If someone had told him he would be living with all three of his genin, and would actually enjoy them, care for them, and want to spend time with them, Kakashi would have thought that person was crazy.

Turns out he was the crazy one. He really did enjoy being with his team, and he really was beginning to appreciate each of them in their own way.

Naruto was loud and obnoxious, yes, but he was also misunderstood, and sought out comfort and companionship with others. He had a lot to prove to people, and he was more than ready to show everyone what he was made of. After helping him grow and improve over the last few weeks, Kakashi was excited to see what he could do against his opponent.

Sasuke was quiet and stubborn, but he was starting to care about his teammates more and more. Bonds had been cemented between Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura, and Kakashi knew that the three would be there for each other for anything. When he had first met the Uchiha boy he hadn't thought that was possible.

Sakura was… he sighed as he thought to Sakura. Sakura was the literal glue that kept them all together. If Sakura hadn't been Sakura, then team seven wouldn't be team seven. The change that had occurred in her all those weeks ago had caused their team to grow closer, and Kakashi was more than happy it happened.

He wasn't happy with what had happened in the hospital, however. Especially after all that he had found out about the sand nin (thanks to Hayate's information and a little digging of his own). He had discovered that Gaara was bad news, and if the boys hadn't already decided they would be pushing themselves with training (to protect Sakura obviously), then Kakashi would have already pushed them harder even without their consent.

To have a jinchuuriki who could not control themselves in your village was scary, but to know that Suna was planning something with that jinchuuriki was even scarier. Kakashi frowned as he thought to Sakura and her possible match with Gaara.

There was no way Sakura was going to back down, or forfeit if she ended up beating Shikamaru in their first match. Kakashi knew Sakura had been training and planning like crazy to beat Shikamaru, so he had a hunch that she would win.

If anything were to happen, Kakashi needed to make sure both Naruto and Sasuke would be okay with stepping in to help Sakura, because if either of the boys were in her situation, he would expect the same thing.

Arriving back at the place they called home, Kakashi sighed when he smelled the ramen Sakura had made for dinner. He had eaten some, but that didn't mean he didn't want seconds. After dealing with Sasuke and Naruto for training, Kakashi felt like he deserved to treat himself.

Hearing both boys groan as they followed him inside, Kakashi couldn't prevent the amused smirk that lit up his features… Kakashi wondered when the boys would realize Sakura was training in the backyard, but more specifically _who_ she was training in the backyard with.

"Are you reheating the ramen, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked as he followed Kakashi into the kitchen. Sakura had been right, Kakashi did need to train the boys on chakra sensing… it didn't help that she was so good at it either.

"Yeah," Kakashi said with a nod as he motioned to the back door. "Why don't you guys go see how Sakura-Chan's training is going while I reheat it."

"It's just Gai," Sasuke said mildly irritated at the thought of having to eat ramen again. Really, Kakashi knew it wasn't Sasuke's favorite meal, but Sakura often put tomatoes into foods to make Sasuke happy.

"I think I sense her training with someone else back there too," Kakashi said while putting the ramen on the stovetop. Kakashi had heard all about their jealous tendencies, and had found it severely amusing.

Sasuke seemed to grumble again before he headed to the back door with Naruto. When the door opened, Kakashi heard Naruto's squawk of protest, and looked up to see Sasuke's appalled expression. Kakashi had to giggle quietly so his adorable little genin wouldn't hear him.

"Why the hell is she training with the Hyuga?!"


	36. A Month of Training 11

Hey friends! I'm happy to update this again, and guess what?! The next chapter will be the beginning of the exams! Yay! Woot woot! I know many of you have been waiting very patiently for that : )

This chapter is dedicated to: The Imperfect Me, kopycat101, and bookmaniac849! Plus a special thank you to everyone who helped me reach 600 reviews! I am so appreciative and love you all!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 36: A Month of Training 11

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><p>Sakura was happy to be distracted, but even though she had people distracting her all day long, she still found herself more lost in her thoughts than not. After everything that Gaara had said…<p>

She knew he had been talking about her parents. She just _knew _it. Her heart hurt even thinking about it. If Gaara had been the one to kill her parents, then that meant he would have to be in cahoots with Orochimaru and that meant that-

Sakura ducked as a palm was thrust her way. Shaking her head slightly, Sakura turned her body to the left to avoid another palm. Her current opponent didn't leave her a lot of time to let her mind wander… Sakura was thankful for that, because it hurt too much to dwell on it.

"What a youthful dodge Sakura-Chan!" Gai called as he jumped up and down at the side of their match. "Keep at it Neji-kun! I am sure you will be able to hit her soon!"

Sakura heard Neji grumble, and it caused her to smirk slightly. Neji and her both currently had on a blindfold, and in addition to the blindfold, the two had a handicap of sorts. Gai had told Neji to try to not use his byakugan. The byakugan was his doujutsu that allowed him to see almost 360 degrees, and he could even see with his eyes closed. Neji's seeing ability wasn't something he could just turn off; he had to concentrate greatly if he didn't want to use it.

Sakura was in the same boat as Neji though, because she had to actively fight her constant need to sense for other chakra around her. Gai didn't want them to have to depend on one thing, so he had challenged them to not to. Sakura had found it hard at first, because she was used to just unconsciously sensing chakra as she went, but she had understood why Gai had been teaching them the way he was.

Concentrating her chakra into her ears, Sakura tried to listen to Neji's movements as he came at her again. If Sakura hadn't been using her chakra to enhance her senses, Sakura never would have heard the quiet Hyuga. Training with Shino and Kiba had been surprisingly productive.

Dipping her body down as Neji's palm was thrust her way, Sakura took in a deep breath as she caught Neji's other wrist with her palm. His palm was about an inch away from her chest, and Sakura breathed a sigh of relief at knowing she was able to stop his attack.

"Good Sakura-Chan!" Gai praised again. "Now I'm going to have you switch rolls. Sakura-Chan you are on attack, and Neji-kun you are on defense!"

Sakura shifted her stance and let go of Neji's hand to give him a head start. She didn't want to go easy on Neji, but she wanted to train; keeping his hand in hers would have been an easy way to win. The chakra around her ears hummed as she tried to focus on where Neji had gone.

She heard the wind blow his hair softly to her left, and she had to fight a smirk. Of course she was hearing his_ hair_ of all things.

Jumping into action quickly, Sakura threw a kunai toward where she heard Neji. Hearing him rotate his body to deflect the kunai, Sakura knew that she had to wait until he was done rotating to attack again. After seeing his rotation first hand an hour or so earlier, Sakura knew that it would be impossible for her to attack him while he was using it. She calculated how long it would take him to end his rotation before jumping forward.

Sakura was behind Neji just as he stopped his rotation, and Sakura slammed her fist to the back of Neji's lower back. Neji was able to spin out of the way a second before her fist was going to connect, and Sakura took the chance to drop to her knees and try to kick Neji's legs out from under him.

She connected with Neji's first leg before he managed to jump out of the way. She tried to follow Neji's quiet movements, but he disappeared rather quickly.

Concentrating on her senses again, Sakura paused when she heard the back door open. Were her teammates home already? If they were, then why hadn't Kakashi-sensei warned her they were back? She knew Kakashi would have sensed her and Neji training with Gai.

"Sakura-Chan!" Naruto's whiney voice was carried from the house into the backyard. "What are you doing with this bastard?!"

Kakashi had totally set her up on this one… she knew he would be able to tell she was training with Neji. Knowing Kakashi, he probably pointed that fact out to the two of them… she knew how much Naruto and Sasuke didn't like Neji.

"Hn," Without even seeing the two, Sakura could already imagine how they were looking. Naruto was more than likely pouting, and Sasuke was probably glaring at Neji with his arms crossed. Lifting up her blindfold, Sakura was happy to know that her thought had been right.

"Looks like our training is done for now Sakura," Neji said while he lifted his blindfold. In the short time she had been spending with Neji, she could tell that he seemed to be both a little amused and a lot irritated at Sasuke and Naruto's presence.

"Good," Naruto said as he mimicked Sasuke's position and crossed his arms over his chest like a child. Sakura sighed at Naruto's immaturity.

Ignoring her overbearing teammates for now, Sakura turned towards Neji and Gai with a smile. "Thanks for helping me out today, Neji," Sakura said, and she could practically feel the glare her teammates were sending her way.

"It was both unlucky and lucky that Tenten-Chan was sick today!" Gai said with a fist pump. "I was very happy you two could youthfully work together even though you may be facing each other in the exams!"

"Hn," Neji said with a slight nod. "This training was different, but not completely awful. I'd be willing to train with you again tomorrow if Tenten is still ill, Sakura."

"What?" Naruto's loud voice carried over the backyard, and Sakura noticed both his and Sasuke's look of shock. "You should feel privileged to train with Sakura-Chan! After that response, there's no way she is training with you again."

"I agree," Sasuke said with a nod and a glare. "Especially not at our home."

"As I see it," Neji said with a slight smirk. Oh no… Neji was going to tease them wasn't he? "It is Sakura's choice in who she wishes to train with. If she chooses to train with me as opposed to the two of you… well that seems like it's something the two of you will have to work on."

"You-"

"Don't tease them Neji," Sakura said with a sigh a she cut off Naruto. She knew Naruto would go on an angry rant, and she could feel Sasuke quietly raging with anger behind her. "You know I'll train with anyone who can help me become stronger. You, Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, Shikamaru-kun, Gai-sensei… _anyone_ who can help make me stronger."

"Hn," Neji's response was enough to tell her that she knew what he was thinking. He still held the belief that you were only destined to be as strong as fate allowed you to be. Sakura thought that his thinking was garbage, but she'd need Naruto and Sasuke to help her with teaching him that.

"Don't you think it's getting kind of late Gai?" Sakura heard Kakashi question as he took a step into the backyard. Sakura shot Kakashi a thankful look. "Shouldn't you and Neji get going home?"

"Oh you're right my eternal rival!" Gai said while he looked to Neji with a bright smile. "We are supposed to be training very early tomorrow morning! Let's get you home so you can get a youthful night's sleep!"

"Bye Gai-sensei!" Sakura called as the two headed out through the gate of her backyard. Sakura hadn't realized how late it had been getting when she had been training, but as she watched Gai and Neji walk out of her backyard the position of the moon made her realize how late it really was. "Bye Neji!"

After the two had effectively left her backyard, Sakura turned a questioning eyebrow toward her teammates. "You know you don't have to be so mean to Neji… it was Gai-sensei who had suggested we train together anyways."

"But he's a bastard Sakura-Chan!" Naruto whined again. "And he's going to be facing Teme in the exams! You didn't give him any pointers did you?"

"No," Sakura said with a shake of her head. "But I was able to assess his battle tactics and jutsu."

"..And you'd be willing to share that information?" Sasuke asked in quiet hope. Sakura knew that if this would have been a couple months ago, Sasuke never would have asked for her help. She had a feeling of pride warm in her chest at his question.

"I might," Sakura said with a grin as she started to walk into the house.

"Might?" Naruto was the one to question her. "What does might mean, Sakura-Chan?"

"Well it depends on if Sasuke-kun will teach me that really complicated trap Anko-san taught him the other day," Sakura said with a grin as she kept walking.

Xxx A Month of Training 11 xxX

She was up again, and couldn't sleep. She actually hadn't even tried to sleep, but that was beside the point. She knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep even if she tried.

So instead of laying in the dark thinking about things she didn't want to think about, Sakura found herself going through a pile of scrolls she hadn't read yet. The scrolls were a mix of scrolls from the library, scrolls from Shikaku, and scrolls from the Uchiha manor.

Reading had kept her mind at bay for the moment, but she kept being distracted by little thoughts that would seemingly pop out of nowhere. She was distracted by the thought of Gaara and what he had done to her parents, because when she had thought about it, the look in his eye had been enough to prove to her that he had done it.

She was also distracted by the picture in her kunai pouch of Sasuke-kun and his brother. She wanted to talk to Sasuke-kun about it, to see what his side of the story was, but it seemed like too delicate of a subject to broach with Sasuke. Especially when he was worrying about the upcoming exams.

Other thoughts raced through her head too: thoughts about her upcoming battle with Shikamaru, thoughts about the monster that lived inside of Naruto-kun, the monster that lived inside Gaara, of Orochimaru and the fact he had actually ordered someone to kill her parents…

Sakura sighed in frustration as she shoved some of the scrolls she had been looking at off of her bed. She bit her lip as the tears started to reach her eyes. Why was life so complicated? Why couldn't her parents still be here? Why couldn't Orochimaru have left them alone?

Why had he been after Sasuke-kun in the first place, Sakura wondered to herself, and would he continue to go after him? The final part of the exams were so close, and Sakura had a bad feeling about them. As Sakura's mind kept racing, Sakura didn't even notice her door open slightly.

"Sakura?" Kakashi's voice was quiet, and she knew he didn't want to wake the boys. She should have known Kakashi would know she would be awake. "Have you slept at all?"

"No," Sakura said as she tried to wipe the tears from her eyes; they didn't fall, but that didn't mean she wanted him to see them. She should have known, though, because Kakashi saw everything.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he walked into her room and sat on the side of her bed. It was comforting to see the concern in Kakashi's lone eye.

She didn't want to burden him with her thoughts, but she couldn't stop herself. She trusted Kakashi, and knew he would be able to alleviate some of the worries and thoughts that were racing through her mind.

"I'm pretty sure Gaara was the one to kill my parents," Sakura said as she felt a weight get lifted from her chest. "Which means he is somehow working with or for Orochimaru…

"Even after saying that, I don't know how, or why, but I feel like it isn't Gaara's fault. He scares me Kakashi-sensei, and if he's the one that killed my parents a part of me wants to hate him, but then I see him all alone, and I think of Naruto-kun… and a part of me pities him too."

"Sakura-Chan," Kakashi sighed as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder; she sank into his warmth immediately. "Gaara… Gaara is someone you shouldn't mess around with. He's a jinchuuriki like Naruto-kun, but that doesn't mean he and Naruto are the same, because they're not. Gaara has no control over the monster inside of him.

"He attacked you," Kakashi said as his eyes went to her neck which still held a bruise. "He murdered your parents. There is nothing you should pity about him, Sakura-Chan."

Sakura found herself nodding while she leaned her head against Kakashi's shoulder. Gaara had been the one to take two of her precious people away from her; he had destroyed the bonds she had made with them, and he had threatened to do the same with the rest of her bonds. But even if Kakashi had said not to pity him, Sakura couldn't help it. Gaara didn't even know what bonds were.

"Thanks Kaka-sensei," Sakura said as her eyes slipped to the scrolls that littered her bed.

"You're still not going to sleep are you?" Kakashi asked her with a knowing look.

"Nope," Sakura said with a slight smile, because even after the talk the two had, Sakura knew sleep would still be elusive.

Kakashi sighed as he scooted next to her. "Alright," Kakashi said as he leaned back against the pillows next to her. "What are we studying then?"

Xxx A Month of Training 11 xxX

Sakura was on her way to training with Anko when she caught sight of Hayate. After not seeing Hayate for the last two weeks, Sakura could say she was definitely worried about him. Kakashi-sensei had reassured her that Hayate was on a mission, and that he was fine, but after what had happened the last time she had seen him she wasn't so sure.

Whatever Gaara's sensei and Kabuto had been talking about had caused Hayate to be jittery, and she had been worried about him ever since. She couldn't explain her reasoning, it was just a gut feeling.

"Hayate-sensei!" Sakura called as she watched he and Yuugao walk through the fruit market together. Hayate turned toward Sakura, and a smile touched his lips.

"Sakura," Hayate nodded as she walked toward him. "It's good to see you're safe."

"I'm glad you're back from your mission," Sakura said as she stopped a foot or so in front of him. She was curious at the way he had said his previous statement, but she held back her curiosity. "It's good to see that you're safe as well."

"Of course," Hayate nodded seriously as his eyes scanned the area around them. "Could I actually talk to you privately for a second Sakura?"

"Um, sure," Sakura said with a nod as she waved to Yuugao. Yuugao was looking at a batch of tomatoes as she waved to the two. Even as the two walked away, she could feel Yuuago's eyes on their backs.

Following Hayate into an alley way, Sakura had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. "What's up, Hayate?"

"I want you to be careful if you end up winning your first match," Hayate said as he her seriously in the eye. He coughed slightly into his fist before he spoke again. "If you end up going against Gaara… bad things could happen. I can't say too much, but please be careful, and use your best judgement."

He had confused Sakura a great deal with his words, but she could only nod before watching Hayate walk back out into the market place. His warning… it left an even worse feeling in Sakura's stomach.

Biting her lip, Sakura continued her trek to the training grounds. Hayate's words had both worried her and warmed her heart. He had obviously been worried about her, which is why he warned her, but because he had warned her there was obviously something going on.

She needed to talk to Kakashi-sensei again. If something bigger was going on, then he would know. Without even flaring her chakra, Sakura knew exactly where Kakashi-sensei would be at the moment. If he was not training the three of them, then he would be at the memorial stone. Kakashi hadn't opened up about why he stayed there for at least an hour a day, but Sakura could feel that Kakashi would open up to them at some point.

She only felt a little bad about her going to see her sensei instead of going to training. She really should be focusing on training, but she knew she wouldn't be able to concentrate with all the thoughts raging through her head.

She also knew Anko would be angry at her for being late, because even as crazy as she was, Anko was a stickler about being on time. She would just have to make up an excuse, or bring Kakashi along to act as a buffer.

Arriving at the memorial stone, Sakura waited for her sensei to acknowledge her presence before speaking. Whoever it was he came to see here was important to him, and the time they shared meant a lot to the silver haired shinobi.

Sakura watched as Kakashi bowed his head once before turning to look at her. He raised an eyebrow in question at her, and Sakura felt some of the dread leave her.

"Why did Hayate warn me to be careful if I were going up against Gaara?" Sakura asked as Kakashi got closer. "I know he saw what happened to Lee-senpai, but he pulled me off to the side to warn me… Is there something going on Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi sighed before he motioned for the two of them to start walking. "For you to skip Anko's training to seek me out… this must be bothering you quite a bit. I can't… I can't explain everything to you Sakura-Chan, but I can tell you that Hayate's warning was right: if you end up facing Gaara you need to be extremely careful."

The answer was vague, and Sakura wasn't quite happy with it, but she knew Kakashi wouldn't give her any more than that. Her sensei was elusive sometimes.

"It kind of goes along with what we talked about last night," Kakashi continued. "But then again it kind of doesn't."

"That doesn't really make any sense, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said with a sigh.

"I know," Kakashi said with a nod. "But after the exams it will.

"Now let me take you to the training grounds," Kakashi said, and Sakura could hear the frown on his face. "We don't need Anko to come searching for you."

"Anko can be a little scary, can't she sensei?" Sakura asked with a frown of her own as she kept walking.

"You have no idea, Sakura-Chan," Kakashi said with a shudder as he patted the top of her head. "Try not to make her angry… she can hold grudges on people for a _very_ long time."

"It sounds like you're talking from experience," Sakura accused with an amused smile.

"He is," an angry voice called from in front of them. Sakura's smile immediately left her face when she saw Anko and Sasuke standing a few yards away from them. Sasuke's arms were crossed over his chest and he was glaring at her; really she couldn't be late once? "Why the hell were you gallivanting off with someone I was supposed to be training, huh Hakate?"

The silence between the two groups was deafening until Kakashi nonchalantly shrugged.

"Well you see Anko…" Kakashi started to trail off. "Sakura-Chan wanted to help a little old lady across the street but-"

Kakashi didn't even have the chance to finish his lame excuse before she lunged at him. The attack seemed to surprise Kakashi as his eye widened in shock before he pushed Sakura to a safe distance.

Sakura watched in awe as Kakashi dodged the kunai, shuriken, and snakes that were thrown his way. The snakes made Sakura shiver in disgust, but she could appreciate their effectiveness.

Feeling Sasuke appear beside her, Sakura could only shrug at the questioning look he shot her.

"Where were you?" Sasuke asked with a frown as he watched Kakashi dodge all of Anko's weapons.

"I needed to talk to Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said as she winced. One of Anko's snakes had wrapped itself around Kakashi's left foot effectively tripping him. Seeing the malicious grin on Anko's face made her shudder; she knew Anko was going to capitalize on this.

Sakura watched Anko stalk to where Kakashi lay. More of her snakes had wrapped themselves around Kakashi's other limbs and kept Kakashi stuck on the ground.

"I don't want your genin to get your dumb habits, Hatake," Anko said threateningly as she stalked even closer. Taking out a kunai, Anko ran her finger up and down the sharp object while giving Kakashi a meaningful look. "And because I know they will, I'm going to make an example out of you."

"I've been better lately," Kakashi offered feebly as Anko stopped in front of him.

"Don't turn away kids," Anko said with a grin as she looked to Sasuke and Sakura. "I'm going to make an example out of your sensei."

"But I'm only like five minutes late…" Sakura said with a frown as she watched Anko slam the kunai down on Kakashi's chest. Just as the kunai touched Kakashi's chest, a puff of smoke was heard, and Kakashi's body had been replaced with a log.

"You elusive bastard!" Anko called as her eyes scanned the area for Kakashi. It seemed like she didn't want to let Kakashi go that easily.

"I'll see you kids at home," Kakashi called from somewhere behind Sakura. "Be good and don't get killed by Anko."

"Hai sensei," the two responded with a small smile.

"Don't hai sensei him!" Anko yelled as she glared at the two genin. "Sasuke get the wire ready, Sakura grab the kunai! You're going to learn a new complicated trap. One that can even trap that bastard of a sensei you have!"

Xxx A Month of Training 11 xxX

Tomorrow was the big day. It was crazy to think the month of training she had was now over. She had worked her body in ways she hadn't even thought possible, but it was enough to make Sakura be happy with her progress.

There was no way she'd be able to take Orochimaru on, but that was beside the point. As long as she kept getting stronger, Sakura knew she would be able to beat that bastard one day.

Continuing her walk to the Nara compound, Sakura was surprised to find Shikamaru in her path. Usually in the mornings, Shikamaru was training off alone or with Asuma. To see him standing in front of her was different… and wait, was he blushing?

Sakura had to shake the thoughts from her head before she stopped a foot or so from Shikamaru. The two had continued their shogi matches over the last week or so, and Sakura had been getting better at reading his strategy. She hadn't even gotten close to beating him yet, but that didn't mean she wouldn't beat him one day.

"Shikamaru-kun?" Sakura questioned as she tilted her head to the side. Sakura watched as Shikamaru's eyes scanned her vest before his eyes darted to the ground. Why was he avoiding eye contact with her?

"Sakura-Chan," Shikamaru said with a sigh as he handed her a small package. She hadn't even noticed he had been holding it before. "I… I had this made for you too."

"Too?" Sakura questioned before she could stop herself. Did that mean the vest she was currently wearing was actually from him?

"I had the vest made for you," Shikamaru said as he refused to meet her eyes. Sakura could only smile when she noticed his red ears. "It was… it was because you had been wearing the Uchiha vest so often, and I knew you wore it for comfort… I figured you wanted a Haruno one."

"That was actually really sweet of you," Sakura said. She looked down to the package in her hand and gave Shikamaru a look. "But if you already had this made for me, then why are you giving me something else?"

"No matter what happens tomorrow," Shikamaru said his voice growing serious. His chocolate brown eyes connected with her emerald ones. "You'll still be important to me…. This gift proves that to you."

Opening the package, Sakura couldn't help but smile. The color of the vest was familiar to her; it actually matched the grey color of Shikamaru's jacket to a T. Pulling the vest out from the wrappings, Sakura held the grey vest up to Shikamaru's jacket and smiled. Turning the vest over, Sakura noticed the small Haruno circle in the bottom left corner. In the right left corner, there was the Nara's clan symbol.

"I love it Shikamaru-kun," Sakura said as she wrapped her arms around Shikamaru. She loved the look of it, but she loved what it meant more. Shikamaru giving this to her showed that no matter what the outcome of their match tomorrow, she was still important to him. He would still consider her one of his important people. "Thank you."

The tips of his ears reddened a little more as Shikamaru hugged her back. "No problem."

To think he had _two_ different articles of clothing made for her. She was used to just stealing an article of clothing from one of her boys. Thinking back on it, when had he actually given her the first vest? Hadn't she found it in her closet?

Sakura's brow furrowed. "Hey Shikamaru-kun," Sakura said as she took a step back from him. "If you were the one to give me the other vest, does that mean you broke into my house to put it in my closet?"

"… Troublesome," Was his only response as his cheeks reddened to match his ears.


	37. The Final Part of the Chuunin Exams 1

Hello all! I started this chapter while I was still on vacation, even though I couldn't update it because I was without wifi : ( But hey, if I had wifi that meant I would have updated sooner!

This chapter is dedicated to: Peppei, Blackbird0, The Imperfect Me, and InARealPickle. InARealPickle, I plan to continue this story for a lengthy period of time (possibly all the way through the end of the Naruto series if I can), and I felt that all of the training was needed, because I'm working really hard on character development : ) I'm hoping to keep with that detail through the rest of the story! Thank you for your review though!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 37: The Final Part of the Chuunin Exams 1

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><p>This morning was starting off to be a lot like the morning of the first part of the chuunin exams. Kakashi-sensei had woken up early and had made breakfast before the boys had even gotten out of bed. Sakura had been awake, like usual, but she had been able to at least get a little bit of sleep.<p>

She knew her body would need as much rest as possible, but that still didn't allow her to sleep more than a few hours. She had spent majority of the night going through different ways she could possibly beat Shikamaru, and after her many hours of planning, she had felt like she had come up with the best plan she could think of.

Sitting across the island from Kakashi, Sakura drank her tea slowly. They still had an hour before they needed to be at the arena, and she could already hear Sasuke and Naruto moving.

"Nice vest Sakura-Chan," Kakashi said as his eye crinkled in amusement. "Did Shikamaru give that to you too?"

"You knew about the other vest?" Sakura asked with a questioning look in her eye. "I thought you were the one who had given me it."

"Of course I noticed when Shikamaru snuck through your window to put the vest there," Kakashi said, and she could hear the grin in his voice. "I had to make sure he didn't go through your unmentionable drawer."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura yelled as her cheeks blushed a fiery shade of red. "Shikamaru-kun would never!"

"Stay naïve and adorable forever," Kakashi said with a sigh as he patted the top of her head. Sakura pouted slightly before she felt Sasuke walk into the room. "On a completely unrelated note, don't try to enter your room from your window anymore… I may or may not have put a strong genjutsu on your window sill."

Sakura decided to ignore her crazy sensei for now, and welcome Sasuke into the kitchen. "Good morning Sasuke-kun," Sakura said with a smile. "Are you excited for you match against Neji?"

"Excited to kick his ass maybe," Sasuke said with a slight grin as he found a seat next to Sakura. "I think I figured out how to counteract his rotation."

"I'll be interested to know how you'll do that," Sakura said with her own grin. She had only covered the basics of what Neji could do, but she had been sure to tell Sasuke about his rotation technique. She figured if anyone could figure out a way to disrupt Neji's rotation it would be Sasuke.

"Morning," Naruto greeted everyone with a yawn as he entered the room. He looked more tired than well rested, but Sakura knew for sure he had gone to sleep early the night before.

"Hey Naruto-kun," Sakura said with a grin as he slid into the other seat next to her. Sakura offered him her tea cup and he grabbed it from her with a thankful nod. "Why are you so tired?"

"Pervy Sage trained me really hard yesterday," Naruto said with a frown and a sigh. "I wouldn't even be awake right now if I hadn't smelled Kakashi-sensei's yummy breakfast."

"Well it's a good thing that I made breakfast then," Kakashi said as he motioned for the group to grab the tea kettle, cups, and plates. Sakura grabbed the tea cups, Sasuke grabbed the plates, and Naruto grabbed the tea kettle as the four of them started to walk toward the dining room.

"I would have woken you up dobe," Sasuke said with a grin. "After I had finished eating breakfast of course."

"Of course you'd want to eat breakfast before waking me up!" Naruto said as he fought off another yawn. "That's not very nice Sasuke-teme. I bet Sakura-Chan would have woken me up for breakfast!"

"Yeah," Sakura said with a smile as she took a scoop of eggs and put them on her plate. "You guys need a good breakfast because you're going to be using a lot of energy. Both of your opponents aren't going to be easy."

"You're one to talk," Sasuke said with a snort. "Nara is smart, and I know it won't be an easy battle going up against him."

"Yeah," Naruto said with a frown. "Especially because it's _Shikamaru-kun_."

"I resent that," Sakura said as she took another spoonful of eggs. "I do not sound like that when I say his name… you sound like Ino when she's talking about Sasuke-kun."

"Speaking of Shikamaru though," Kakashi said with a gleam in his eye as he sipped his tea. "Has anyone noticed Sakura-Chan's new vest today?"

Oh no… Sakura could already see the curiosity in both of the boys' eyes at Kakashi's words. Kakashi did this on purpose didn't he?

"Oh yeah," Naruto said with a nod. "I like it! Though it's kind of a weird color… where'd ya get it Sakura-Chan?"

"… is that the Nara symbol?" Sasuke accused with a frown as he pointed to the right corner of her new vest.

Sakura's cheeks glowed red for a second time before she frowned at Kakashi. "You did that on purpose."

"Of course I did," Kakashi didn't even hide his amusement as he agreed with her.

"That's not very nice, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said ignoring both Sasuke and Naruto's looks. "You don't do the same thing to Sasuke-kun or Naruto-kun."

"If Sasuke and Naruto had a girl who gave them an article of clothing for them to parade around in," Kakashi said still fighting off a grin, "I would tease them just as much as I tease you… probably more actually."

Xxx The Final Part of the Chuunin Exams 1 xxX

The walk to the arena was actually fairly short, and Sakura was more than happy about that fact. She, Sasuke, and Naruto had gotten a late start after the two had tried to grill her on who had given her the vest, and why.

Sakura loved their protective nature, because it meant that they cared, but really? It was a vest, and they had both given her an article of clothing, so really what was the big deal?

Sighing, Sakura continued her walk to the arena with Naruto and Sasuke flanking her sides. It didn't take long for the arena to come into view because of the mass size of it. Sakura could already see the line for the spectators.

Finding the gate they were supposed to enter through, Sakura waved to both Kotetsu and Izumo as she passed them. Both were lazily standing beside the entrance, and it appeared they were both guarding the doors.

"Good luck Sakura-Chan," Izumo told her with a smile and a nod.

"Don't let your awesome sensei down Sakura-Chan!" Kotetsu said with a Gai-looking fist pump.

"I'll try not to let down Kakashi-sensei, Izumo, and Anko then," Sakura retorted with a grin, because really, she couldn't help it.

Kotetsu pouted at her as they walked by, but Sakura ignored him. He knew she was just messing around with him.

As the two entered the arena, Sakura found herself surprised at the mass amount of people that were already there. With the line outside, Sakura knew that the arena was going to be packed. Looking to both Sasuke and Naruto, she gave them a smile before walking forward to where the other genin participants were waiting.

Sakura was happy to observe she and her team weren't the last to arrive; she knew that Anko would be happy to note that as well. Gaara and his team had yet to arrive, and she could also see that Kabuto wasn't here yet.

Walking forward to find a spot near Shikamaru, Sakura frowned when Sasuke walked between them. Sakura sent him a questioning look, but Sasuke only smirked smugly. Her teammates over protectiveness was something she was going to have to deal with over time. In turn however, they were going to have to deal with her over protectiveness of them.

Sighing to herself, Sakura sent Shikamaru a smile before motioning to her vest. Shikamaru couldn't hide his grin from her until Sasuke stepped between them, and into her line of sight.

Sakura sent Sasuke a glare, and she heard Naruto's grunt of approval from her other side. Sakura shook her head. "Please tell me you aren't teaching Naruto-kun your language, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said with a frown as she felt more than saw Kabuto enter the arena.

Kabuto's chakra was still masked like it had been back in the forest, but Sakura had noticed that she could sense more of it. She wasn't sure if it was because he wasn't concealing it as well as he had before, or if her sensing abilities had improved that much. Watching as Kabuto appeared beside Naruto, Sakura felt her stomach twist at the grin he sent them.

"Good morning Team Seven," he said in a chipper tone. When his eyes landed on Sakura his grin widened; it caused a chill to run down Sakura's shine. "Hello again Sakura-Chan."

"Kabuto-san," Sakura said with a nod. Really she wasn't so sure why he made her so nervous, but after the last time she had seen him, Sakura was more wary of him now.

"Are you nervous Kabuto?" Naruto asked with a grin and his usual exuberant self. She could feel Sasuke shift beside her; he felt her discomfort as well, but chose not to say anything.

"A bit actually," Kabuto said while his eyes scanned the arena. "This is the farthest I've ever made on the exams. I hope I can make it this time!"

Sakura's eyes scanned the arena as well, and noticed the many anbu members that littered the arena. Of course there would be anbu members here, but Sakura was surprised at the sheer amount of them.

"You're going up against one of the genin from Suna, right?" Naruto questioned as he looked from side to side. "Maybe you'll get lucky again and not have to fight anyone to get to the next round!"

"Maybe," Kabuto said, and Sakura noticed the amused tone he said it with. Raising an eyebrow, Sakura looked to Sasuke in question to see if he had heard it, and he nodded in response. Something didn't feel right to her, Sakura thought as she felt the Suna genin arrive in the arena.

Temari and Kankuro's chakra were both easy to read, and surprisingly so was Gaara's. Gaara's chakra was flickering, and it put Sakura on edge.

When the three of them walked into the arena, Sakura felt more than saw Gaara's look. It was definitely a heated look, and Sakura felt like he was the predator, and she was his prey.

She could feel both Naruto, Sasuke, and Shikamaru shift to glare at Gaara, but she knew that their glares would mean nothing. Gaara's eyes stayed on her as he and his siblings walked to the other side of the line of participants; she thought that Kankuro and Temari might have done that on purpose.

Did they know about the incident at the hospital? Just thinking about it caused Sakura to freeze in fear. If she were to go up against Gaara, she would be facing him again. Even though the thought was a scary one, Sakura knew she would rather face Gaara than have Shikamaru do it.

Steeling her nerves, Sakura scanned the arena again until her eyes landed on someone she knew very well. Kakashi was slouched in the back of one of the rows near an exit. His slouch was something she was expecting, but seeing him talking to an anbu member was not. The sight set Sakura slightly on edge, but a voice distracted her from her thinking.

"Hello everyone," Sarutobi greeted the crowd as he stood on his spot near the Kazekage. "We welcome you to the final part of the chuunin exams held by Konoha. Please find your seats so that we can get started with the matches!"

A loud roar of approval was met with Sarutobi's words, and Sakura felt her stomach drop a little. She wasn't going to be fighting until the last match of the round, though, and she wished she would have been the first one. She would have been more refreshed and ready for her next match.

"Welcome everyone," a person in front of her stated as he addressed the eleven of them. "I am Genma, and I will be giving you guys some rules before we begin the matches. The arena is different, but the rules are the same as in the preliminary matches. You will fight each other until one of you dies, or acknowledges defeat. But if I decide that the match is over, I'll step in and stop it. Understood?"

The group of eleven collectively nodded, and the instructor sighed. "Good," he said. "Now to the first fight. Kankuro Sabaku and Kabuto Yakushi you two stay while the rest of you go to the waiting area. It's up those stairs to the balcony."

Sakura started to head toward the stairs that the instructor had mentioned. Feeling Sasuke and Naruto fall in line beside her, Sakura allowed her stiff shoulders to loosen slightly. Even with Gaara behind her, Sakura still felt a little safer with Sasuke and Naruto beside her.

"Good luck Kabuto!" Naruto cheered to the silver headed shinobi as they continued to walk. She didn't say anything to Kabuto as she passed him, but she did nod. She figured it would be rude to not say or do anything, but she still didn't feel comfortable around him.

Kabuto grinned back at Naruto, and the grin caused a shiver to run down Sakura's spine. "Thanks Naruto-kun," he said back.

Sakura sped up slightly and she was the first of the group to reach the stairs. Taking the stairs slowly, Sakura heard the crowd go wild as the instructor signaled the beginning of the exams.

To say Sakura was curious about the two who were going to be fighting would be an understatement. She had not gotten to see Kabuto fight during the preliminary rounds, and Sakura was curious as to what he could do. She had also wanted to see Kankuro's jutsu again; the idea of chakra strings was one that appealed to her.

As she reached the top of the stairs, Sakura almost froze as she saw Gaara standing in the waiting room alone. Of course he would choose to transport himself up to the waiting room with his sand instead of walking.

Sakura ignored the red head as she headed to the opposite side of the balcony. Sasuke and Naruto followed behind her quickly, but shot Gaara a glare first.

"You think Kabuto is going to beat the Suna genin?" Naruto asked as he leaned against the railing. Sakura shrugged before Shikamaru leaned casually against the wall beside Naruto. Both Naruto and Sasuke left no room to stand beside Sakura, and Sakura knew the two had done that on purpose. Shino stood beside Shikamaru.

"None of us have actually seen Kabuto-san fight, Naruto," Shino said with a sigh. "We don't know who the stronger fighter will be."

"My guess is on Kabuto," Sasuke said quietly as he watched the two stare at each other below. Sakura couldn't help herself as she looked to Sasuke in question. She knew he could feel her wariness of Kabuto, but she wanted to know his reasoning.

"We haven't seen what he can do yet," Sasuke said with a nod toward Shino. "But I have a feeling that there's a lot more to him than meets the eye."

"His chakra," Sakura murmured just loud enough for the Konoha ninja around her to hear. "It's weird… not like a genin's."

Before anyone could say anything else, Genma, who stood with a senbon in his mouth, looked to Kankuro and Kabuto. "Now for the first match. Kabuto are you ready?"

"Yes," Kabuto said while a smile showed on his face. He didn't look nervous any more, just excited. It added to the nervous feeling in Sakura's belly.

"Kankuro are you ready?" The instructor asked while looking to him.

Kankuro's arms were crossed and his expression could only be described as resentful. Watching Kankuro huff, he shook his head at the instructor.

"I withdraw from this match," Kankuro said and left no room for argument. Hearing those words caused Sakura to twirl around and look to the genin around her in question; it seemed all of them were surprised.

"If Kankuro forfeits, then Kabuto is the winner of this match," the instructor said, much to the surprise and displeasure of the crowd.

Sakura herself was surprised at what was happening before her. This seemed… almost too good to be true for Kabuto. He had passed by the preliminaries without fighting anyone, and now he would be passing by the first round of the final exams without having to fight anyone yet again.

It made Sakura especially wary, because now Kabuto would be fighting the winner of Sasuke-kun's match, which Sakura assumed would be Sasuke-kun. That meant that Kabuto would have all of his chakra when facing Sasuke-kun.

"Since you have forfeit the match," the instructor continued over the booing of the crowd. "I'm going to need you to go up to the stands and sit with the rest of the audience."

Sakura watched the look of panic flitter across Kankuro's face. "No, please," Kankuro said as he recovered quickly; his panicked look was now replaced with a small bit of worry. "I'd like to cheer on my siblings from the balcony."

The instructor raised an eyebrow, but then nodded. "Very well," Genma said with a shrug as he flicked the senbon in his mouth. "I mean you made it all the way here, I guess that would be alright."

Kankuro seemed to shrink in relief and Sakura heard Temari's sigh from the other side of the balcony. Sakura frowned as she watched both Kabuto and Kankuro head toward the balcony stairs.

She looked to Sasuke who was standing beside her, and she shook her head. Sasuke looked a little confused at what had just happened, but he also looked ready for his own match. Sasuke actually seemed to be shaking.

"You're not scared are you teme?" Naruto questioned from beside Sakura. Sakura watched as Sasuke smirked while looking across the balcony to Neji.

"Not even, Dobe," Sasuke said. "I'm shaking in excitement… it's been a while since I've had a decent person to fight against."

"We fight all the time, jerk!" Naruto accused with a frown. "And Sakura-Chan fights with you too!"

"We spar dobe," Sasuke said with a shake of his head. "You, Sakura, and me; we all spar, but that also means that we hold back just enough so we don't hurt each other. This fight against the Hyuga… I won't have to hold back. I've already had a taste of what a Hyuga can do when I faced Hinata. Plus, I have a bone to pick with the Hyuga."

"Bone to pick?" Sakura asked with a frown. She really hoped she wasn't the cause of this…

"Yeah," Sasuke said with a firm nod. It amazed Sakura to see Sasuke so openly determined. "He seems to think that you can only be as strong as you are destined to be. I think that's bullshit. Anyone can get stronger if they work hard enough."

Naruto and Sakura both had to smile at Sasuke's reaction. He had really grown in the last few months. If she had asked him that question when they had first become a team, Sakura was sure his answer would be the same.

"I need Sasuke Uchiha and Neji Hyuga down here for the second match," the instructor called to the balcony.

"Good luck Sasuke-kun," Sakura said with a smile.

"Yeah," Naruto agreed with a nod. "Kick his ass, teme!"

"Hn," Sasuke said with a nod as he watched Neji walk toward the stairwell. Sasuke rolled his eyes before following him.

"You think he'll be okay, Naruto-kun?" Sakura asked as she watched Sasuke's back head down the stairwell. After only a few moments, Sakura could now see Kabuto and Kankuro.

"Yeah," Naruto said with a nod. "Teme'll be fine."

"You're not worried about Sasuke-kun, are you Sakura-Chan?" Kabuto asked as it seemed like he appeared right behind her. Sakura froze for a second before shaking off the awful feeling that was building in her stomach.

"No," Sakura said with a shake of her head. "Sasuke-kun will do well."

"Well you should be the one to know, right Sakura-Chan?" Kabuto asked with a slight smirk. "You have trained with both of these guys right?"

"How did you know-" Naruto was cut off as they watched Neji and Sasuke arrive at the bottom of the stairwell. The crowd was roaring with excitement, and Sakura wasn't sure if she actually wanted Naruto's previous question answered or not.

She had remembered the cards Kabuto had of the other participants in the first part of the chuunin exams. She didn't want to know where he had gotten his information from, especially if it meant he had been spying on her.

"Either way," Sakura said after the roaring from the crowd had slowed down. "I think this will be a good match. Both Sasuke-kun and Neji have a lot to prove."

"The match can go either way," Shikamaru drawled while he slid into the open spot beside Sakura. Sakura allowed herself to calm down, even slightly; she had been nervous Kabuto would be standing next to her. "It all depends on what they've learned this past month."

Focusing on the two down at the arena, Sakura watched as both Neji and Sasuke stood across from each other. The instructor stood in the middle of the two, and nodded to each.

"Neji Hyuga, Sasuke Uchiha," Genma spoke. "Are you two ready for your match?"

"Hn," Neji said with a smug smirk and a look of arrogance.

"Hn," Sasuke said with a nod and a look of determination.

"I'm going to assume that means yes," the instructor said, and Sakura found herself sympathizing with him in that moment; if she didn't know Sasuke-kun so well she wouldn't be able to understand what "Hn" meant either. "Let's begin the second match then!"


	38. The Final Part of the Chuunin Exams 2

Are you all ready for some action? I know I am! Here's chapter 38! I hope you all enjoy it, because it was a little harder to write than the previous ones. I'm dog sitting this week though, so I'll hopefully be able to update more than once this week! There is not wifi here, though, so you'll all have to wait until I go to work the following morning to update!

This chapter is dedicated to: wynterdee and xx sHion! Thanks for your message xx sHion! When I am finished with the chuunin exams arc of the story, I will be taking a little break from SWM to update my other stories! No worries, friend! I'm hoping to be able to update every story that is not yet completed!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 38: The Final Part of the Chuunin exams 2

* * *

><p>As Genma began the match, Sasuke took a strategic leap backwards. Sakura had not completely told Sasuke the range of Neji's attack, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be careful, and give the Hyuga some space.<p>

If Neji was able to close an important tenketsu, or chakra point on Sasuke's body, Sakura knew the match would be mostly over. Tenketsu points allowed the chakra to flow through the body, and if said point was blocked, then the chakra wouldn't be able to flow as quickly, or in most cases, at all. If someone tried to push the chakra through when the point was blocked, then they could possibly end up rupturing the chakra point and damaging it greatly.

Sakura had done her research on tenketsu points and the gentle fist style throughout her years at the academy. She had actually done a lot of reading up on the different clans she had been going to school with. She had already been at a disadvantage not having a kekka genkai; she refused to be uninformed.

Sakura sucked in a deep breath of air as she watched Neji's byakugan blare into life. He smirked before motioning Sasuke to come at him. Neji was already crouched in his usual position; left hand facing Sasuke, his body shifted back slightly.

Sakura knew it would take a lot to get through Neji's defense; Sakura hoped Sasuke had a good plan up his sleeve.

Leaping forward, Sasuke seemed to take Neji's challenge head on. Sasuke charged Neji with only a kunai in his hand.

"Close range attacks will be ineffective against me," Neji said. "As will long range attacks. It is a shame that I had to fight you in the first round, Sasuke Uchiha. I had wished I would be able to beat you much later on."

"Who says you're going to beat me?" Sasuke taunted as he appeared in front of Neji. He took the kunai and swiped it down toward Neji; Neji parried the blow with a palm, and was quick to react. Neji's unused hand glowed blue, and he quickly tried to hit one of the tenktetsu points that were in Sasuke's arm.

Sasuke easily maneuvered his arm away from the attack; the sharingan in his eyes was spinning and he could already see where Neji was going to attack.

Sasuke dipped low before sending the kunai he was holding flying toward Neji's face. Neji quickly dodged the kunai and twirled around landing in a new position.

Neji smirked and it caused Sakura to frown. She knew the position he now held himself in, and she also knew how close her own teammate was to Neji.

"You've just stepped into my range," Neji said. "Eight trigrams: sixty four palms!"

Sakura watched as Sasuke brought his hands together quickly and made a clone of himself. Neji was smart enough to tell the Sasuke in front of him was a clone, but Sasuke then dipped out of the way, and the clone stood in front of Neji and faced his attacks head on. As Neji's palms connected with Sasuke's clone, he poofed out of existence.

Sasuke took advantage of the situation as he brought his hands together and leaped a little further away. "Fire release: Grand fireball jutsu."

A large fire ball flew towards Neji as he swirled around. "Rotation!" Neji's body quickly spun and a blue chakra dome surrounded him while he was spinning. The fire ball flew into the chakra dome, and dissipated after only a few moments.

The crowd gasped at the sight of such jutsu being on display, and Sakura hoped that Sasuke's fire ball technique wasn't the real plan he had. If that was all Sasuke had thought of, she knew it wouldn't be enough to beat Neji.

Neji stopped spinning, and Sasuke grabbed a scroll from his pouch. Sakura recognized that scroll, but she still didn't understand how it was going to be helpful in this situation.

Sasuke unsealed the scroll she had made for him, and Sakura watched as he unsealed weapon after weapon and threw them toward Neji.

It was a scroll he had asked her to make him the night after Sakura had told him about Neji's attacks. She didn't know how it would help him, but Sasuke had seemed determined and had actually sought her out for help. She had actually showed him how to seal the weapons in the scroll too, so she knew he could now seal things into scrolls just like Jiraiya had taught her.

Sasuke had after all showed her how to make the very complicated trap Anko had taught him. She'd probably have to show Naruto how to store stuff in scrolls too.

Neji quickly started rotating again, and Sakura watched as Sasuke continued to throw his kunai, senbon, and shuriken. The weapons bounced off the blue chakra dome Neji encased in himself as he rotated, and flew into all different directions.

After a while, Sasuke ran out of weapons, and Neji stopped his rotation. "I told you your attacks are useless against me," Neji said with a taunting smirk. "The great Sasuke Uchiha… I am underwhelmed. It appears it is your destiny to lose to me."

"Bullshit," Sasuke grunted. "You're an idiot if you believe in that destiny stuff. I for a fact, know that destiny is a load of bullshit, and people can grow stronger. My team is a great example of that. The Dobe is an idiot, but he's also grown a lot in the past few months. He's gotten stronger, and I'm eager to face him in the third round.

"Sakura is also another great example of that," Sasuke continued. "I don't think I've seen anyone grow as much as she has in the past few months…"

That comment had sent a warm feeling through Sakura's chest, and she felt strong affection flow through her toward Sasuke. He usually wasn't one to share his thoughts, but it seemed Neji's personality had really gotten to him.

"Of course," Sasuke said as he smirked. "I also include myself in that growth."

"Of course you've-"

Blue chakra strings started to glow around Sasuke's fingers, and he expertly pulled on them. At that moment a hand full of kunai and shuriken that had been thrown immediately flew back into the air and sailed towards Neji. Neji's eyes widened, but he quickly started to spin in his rotation again.

Within a few moments, the weapons flew into different directions, and Neji stopped his rotation once again. "It seems your growth has not been enough," Neji said with a frown. "And once again, that means I was correct. There is no way you'll be able to defeat me by using weapons."

Sasuke stood still as Neji deactivated his Byakugan and started to walk toward him. Sakura was confused at the action, but she assumed Neji thought Sasuke wasn't enough of a threat to get passed his defenses. It was a large attack on Sasuke's pride, and arrogant of Neji to do that, but his action only caused Sasuke to smirk.

"It seems your eyes can't see everything, Hyuga," Sasuke said as his fingers began to glow blue with chakra. Neji's eyes widened before he activated his byakugan once again, and abruptly stopped mid step.

All of the shuriken and kunai were glowing blue from the chakra wire Sasuke had attached to them. A small bit of blood was flowing down Sasuke's fingers, but that didn't stop him from tightening the wires. The wires sprung up and held fast.

Because of all the weapons he had thrown out, and the wires that had been attacked to such weapons, there was a maze of sharp wires around Neji, and they were blocking his path toward Sasuke.

Sakura shouldn't have been surprised by all the chakra wires Sasuke had used; it seemed like it was a tactic he had probably picked up from Anko. Sakura watched as a small trickle of blood started to run down Neji's cheek. Neji obviously hadn't seen the wires, and with the added chakra Sasuke sent through them, it had increased their potency.

"Way to go Sasuke-teme!" Naruto yelled from the balcony beside her. Sakura had to agree that Sasuke had done well, though the battle was far from over.

Neji glared toward Sasuke before he rushed toward him, dodging all of the ninja wires that Sasuke still held in his fingers. Neji's arm was extended, and Sasuke was just able to dodge the lighting quick strike while simultaneously dropping the ninja wire. Leaping backwards, Sasuke could only dodge as Neji's arms flew into quick attacks.

"Sasuke-kun seems to be pretty fast," Kabuto murmured to himself. He turned to Sakura, and she could only freeze as Kabuto directed his attention to her. "How long do you think he will be able to dodge Neji-kun's attacks?"

"Sasuke-teme could dodge that bastard all day!" Naruto said with a confident grin. He bumped his shoulder against Sakura's, and she found a little bit of comfort in the action. "Right Sakura-Chan?"

"We'll see," Sakura said with a slight shrug, because she really didn't want to give anything away. She knew how fast Sasuke-kun was, and she trusted in his skill, but she also knew how lightning quick Neji's attacks were, and she assumed he would be able to hit Sasuke with an attack within the next few minutes.

After Sasuke dodged attack after attack, Neji seemed to get the pattern of Sasuke's dodges down, and switched up his attacks. Within the next few seconds, Neji's pointer finger jabbed at Sasuke's left shoulder. Sasuke was able to leap away at the last second, but not without feeling the graze of Neji's attack.

Leaping a few yards back, Sasuke shrugged his shoulder a couple times to try to get the feeling back in it. Sakura watched from the balcony, and was happy to note Neji hadn't hit an important chakra point.

Sasuke made another hand sign before another clone appeared beside him. Sasuke handed the clone a scroll before the two of them circled Neji. When they were on opposite sides of him, Sasuke and his clone both simultaneous unleashed the scroll before they started to fire kunai toward Neji. Neji started to rotate again to block the kunai, but Sakura noticed his rotation speed had slowed down significantly.

Hearing a loud boom surprised Sakura greatly, but then she noticed some of the kunai Sasuke and his clone were throwing had exploding tags. Interesting strategy, Sakura thought as majority of the kunai blew up as Neji deflected them with his rotation.

After what had to be at least two minutes of Sasuke and his clone firing off kunai, the arena was filled with smoke from the explosions. Once the dust settled, Neji stood in the middle of the arena panting. She knew that he usually wasn't so tired after using his rotation, so she wondered what the cause of his fatigue was.

Seeing Sasuke panting a few yards away, Sakura wondered what would happen next. Neji's face grew determined as he started to walk toward Sasuke. Sasuke, who had seemed to use a lot of chakra and energy attacking or dodging Neji's attacks, fell to his knees.

"This is really pitiful," Neji said calmly as he continued to walk to Sasuke. Neji seemed to have a hard time breathing as he panted and walked slowly toward Sasuke. "I thought that the rookie of the year would have had more fight than this, but I guess you can't fight your fate.

"And after all the talk you said earlier about how strong your team had gotten," Neji snorted as he came to stop right in front of Sasuke. "Now hopefully you and your team will understand your place."

As Neji's palm came toward Sasuke's chest, something interesting happened. Sakura's eyes widened as a hand shot out of the ground and pulled Neji under.

As Neji's was pulled into the ground, the Sasuke that had kneeled before him panting poofed out of existence. A moment later, the real Sasuke was standing a foot away from Neji, whose head was the only thing sticking out of the ground.

"You-"

"I used the explosion to distract you while I hid underground," Sasuke nodded with a confident smirk. He grabbed a kunai out from his kunai pouch and lazily pointed it at Neji's head. "You can try to use your rotation to get out of the ground, but I don't think you have the energy."

"What did you do?" Neji practically snarled.

"I used my teammates' strengths to help plan my strategy," Sasuke said with a small shrug. "It helped that I coated the ninja wire with a nonlethal poison Sakura made for me."

"But you touched the wires too!"

"That's why I used the antidote on the way downstairs from the balcony," Sasuke said with a shrug. "Now I'm not good at speeches or anything, but know that if you conti0080nue to believe in fate and destiny you will not get anywhere. You're strong Hyuga, but you're stupid. You need to make your own destiny."

Sasuke looked to Genma who had allowed Sasuke to finish his little speech. Motioning the kunai toward Neji's head, Genma nodded.

"The winner of the second match is Sasuke Uchiha!" Genma yelled and the crowd went wild. Sasuke nodded his head before he headed over to Genma. He gave Genma a small vile, of what Sakura knew was an antidote, before he started to head back toward the balcony.

Sakura couldn't contain her excitement as she cheered along with the crowd. She had total faith Sasuke would win his match, but she had been surprised at how unscathed he had come out of the battle.

It seemed that Sasuke had planned his attack strategically, and Sakura was pretty impressed. She had also noticed what jutsu he had used to get Neji underground; it was the same jutsu Kakashi had used against them when they had survival training.

Sakura wondered what else her sensei had taught the boys when they were doing individual training with him. She knew the boys didn't know everything she could do, and she was hoping that she would be pleasantly surprised with the next match like she had been with this one.

As Sasuke got to the top of the balcony, Naruto was there to throw an arm over his shoulder. Sakura stood beside him grinning in her own supportive way. "Way to go Teme!" Naruto said with a warm grin. "I knew you could beat that bastard!"

"I just had to beat some sense into him," Sasuke said with a small smirk of his own. "It seemed like something you would do."

"You better believe it!" Naruto's grin widened.

"But now it's going to be your turn Dobe," Sasuke said as he glanced back to where Dosu stood quietly. Dosu had stood quietly the whole time they had been on the balcony, and even though she had felt his chakra, Sakura still froze when Dosu's eyes swept across her and her teammates.

"Remember what happened in the second part of the exams," Sakura reminded him with a frown as Dosu headed toward the stairs. "His sound jutsu-"

"It's okay, Sakura-Chan," Naruto said with a determined look in his eyes. He let his arm drop from Sasuke's shoulders and he nodded. "Kakashi-sensei and Pervy Sage helped me out with a strategy."

"This I've got to see," Sasuke said in mild amusement as he shook his head.

"You helped me a little bit too Teme, but get ready to be amazed!" Naruto grinned as he looked down to the arena ground. Neji was being carted off by medics, and Dosu now stood at the bottom of the stairwell.

"Our next match will be Naruto Uzumaki and Dosu Kinuta," Genma called as Dosu started to walk toward him. "Naruto Uzumaki come join us, please."

"Well here I go," Naruto said with a grin. "Your match was good Sasuke-teme, but I think mine will be better."

"Impress me then, Dobe," Sasuke said with a nod. Sakura shook her head slightly, because she knew their rivalry would never be squelched, but it seemed to be a lot healthier now than it had been when it had first started.

"Just do your best, Naruto-kun," Sakura said with a frown. She still remembered everything that had happened in the forest of death, and how Naruto had reacted to her getting hurt by one of Dosu's teammates.

"Gotcha, Sakura-Chan," Naruto grinned before nodding.

Xxx The Final Part of the Chuunin Exams 2 xxX

He was surprised his battle against the Hyuga had gone as well as it did. His shoulder still hurt, yes, and of course he was drained, but other than those two things, Sasuke was proud of the way the match had went.

As he stood next to Sakura on the balcony, Sasuke's eyes followed the Dobe as he walked to the middle of the arena.

The Dobe and he had been working really hard on trying to come up with a strategy to defeat Dosu's weird sound jutsu. They had both remembered the way the jutsu worked, and Sasuke just hoped Dosu didn't have any more tricks hidden up his sleeves.

Naruto had a bone to pick with the sound ninja too, because of everything that had happened in the Forest of Death. Sasuke was as confident in the Dobe's skills as the Dobe was in Sasuke's own, so he knew Naruto would come out the victor in this battle.

Sasuke had warned Naruto not to use everything he had against this guy though, because they still had the lingering threat of Gaara, and his possible match against Sakura.

After seeing the way Gaara stared at Sakura as they entered the arena, Sasuke had a bad feeling in his stomach. The bad feeling in his stomach only occurred when something bad was going to happen… like the day where he had been walking home before _that man_ had massacred his family, or also when he, the Dobe, and Sakura were in the Forest of Death before they had met Orochimaru.

Fighting off an involuntary shudder, Sasuke felt Sakura lean a little bit closer to him. If this had been a few months ago, Sasuke would have glared at her before moving away from her quickly, but now, he felt a little bit of comfort from her gesture.

She must still be able to feel Gaara's eyes, Sasuke assumed. He could also feel the glare the aquamarine eyed red head directed at his teammate. What the hell was wrong with that asshole? Why did he have to glare at his teammate like that? Sakura surely didn't do anything to deserve that. Tensing slightly, Sasuke felt a pair of eyes land on him.

It had to be that Kabuto guy… he was just so weird. Sakura didn't trust him at all, and had even confided in him that his chakra signature was off. Sasuke wasn't very good at sensing chakra yet, but he too, could feel something was off about Kabuto. Sakura tried her best to act like nothing was wrong, and if Sasuke didn't know her so well, he would have believed her.

"Sakura," Sasuke said as he felt the eyes that were on him land on her. It made her flinch, because of course she could sense it.

"It's fine Sasuke-kun," Sakura said as she let out a breath. "I know Naruto-kun will win this one, just like you did."

A silent look was passed between the two, and Sasuke nodded minutely. She didn't want to let anyone else know that they both were uncomfortable, but they were. It was that nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Let's go Naruto-kun!" Sakura yelled from the balcony, and Sasuke nodded his head.

Naruto heard Sakura's words and nodded with a grin toward the balcony. Genma stood between the two before he looked to the two participants in front of him.

"Dosu Kinuta, are you ready?" He got a nod in response. "Naruto Uzumaki are you ready?"

"Hell yes," Naruto said with a grin. Oh, the Dobe was so ready to kick this sound ninja's ass, and Sasuke was ready to watch it happen. After Dosu had attacked Sasuke's ear drum, he hadn't been able to hear well for the next week. To say he wanted his teammate to extract a little revenge would be an understatement.

"Begin," Genma said with as he took a jump back to give the two some space.

Naruto grinned before making a hand sign Sasuke knew very well. Twelve Naruto clones burst out of thin air, and immediately started to rush toward Dosu. Dosu took a step back before rolling up his right sleeve, and sending out a wave of sound.

The Naruto clones grabbed their heads before poofing out of existence, but the real Naruto hadn't been sitting idle. Instead of standing where he had been, Naruto had circled around Dosu and was now standing behind him.

In a very Naruto-like move, Naruto did a few more shadow clones and circled Dosu once again. Sasuke couldn't ascertain his goal in doing this, because it looked very similar to what he had tried to do the first time and failed.

This plan also wasn't what he and Naruto had talked about during their training together. Maybe this was a suggestion from Jiraiya or Kakashi?

"I'll just pop the eardrums of all of your clones," Dosu said menacingly as he sent another wave of sound pressure. Naruto had made eight clones, only four of them were charging Dosu. A light shone in Sasuke's eyes as he watched the other four of Naruto's clones stand different distances away from Dosu; he actually knew what the Dobe was doing.

"Did you… did you guys talk about strategy before the match?" Sakura asked as she watched the four closest Naruto clones disappear. The other four Naruto clones did not, and Sasuke smirked.

"A little bit," Sasuke nodded. "I couldn't understand what he was doing before, but now I do."

"He's trying to gauge Dosu's range," Shikamaru said casually from beside Sakura. "He's testing to see if Dosu can attack all around him, which was why Naruto attacked Dosu from all directions.

"It's actually pretty ingenious, especially for Naruto," Shikamaru said with a slight shake of his head. He turned to Sakura as he continued. "I'm going to blame you on his new ability to strategize."

"Hn," Sasuke found himself commenting with a warning glance toward Shikamaru. He still wasn't sure how he felt about Shikamaru's obvious interest in his teammate. Sakura didn't need a boy to be crushing on her; the rest of the team didn't want a boy to be crushing on her either. He'd have to talk to Kakashi about that again…

Turning back to the battle, and ignoring the blush that was dusting his teammate's cheeks, Sasuke watched Naruto's plan unravel.

After Dosu rid himself of the first round of Naruto clones, the second set charged at him quickly. The Dobe was trying to ascertain if Dosu's sound jutsu had a lag time or not.

As Sasuke watched Dosu dodge the first clone's punch, Sasuke believed it did. He was hoping Naruto was counting the seconds as his clones attacked Dosu. After about seven seconds, Dosu pulled his sleeve up again, and it blasted Naruto's clones away.

But Naruto was already moving after the sound wave dispersed his clones. He was in front of Dosu in two seconds, and sent a punch toward Dosu's face. Dosu dodged, and Naruto followed it up with another punch.

It was weird to see Naruto this quiet, Sasuke mused as he watched Naruto grit his teeth as he blocked a punch from Dosu's metal arm. Naruto slipped under Dosu as he sent another punch toward Naruto. Naruto sent Dosu flying with a kick under his chin.

The smirk on Naruto's face made Sasuke proud as he watched Naruto make a few other clones to send toward Dosu. Dosu would have to figure out what he was doing sooner or later, so the Dobe would either have to think up something else to do, or finish him off with one of his punches.

There were twelve clones this time, and Naruto sent all twelve Dosu's way. Three of them attacked from the sky as the rest surround Dosu quickly. Dosu expelled those clones with his sound jutsu, and Naruto charged at him again.

"Stop hiding behind your stupid clones," Dosu yelled as he swung his metal forearm toward Naruto. Naruto dodged the punch and tackled Dosu to the ground. The two tumbled and rolled for a second or so, until Naruto ended up on top. "And don't be pissed off because I can dismiss them."

"I'm not hiding behind my clones," Naruto said as he slammed a punch toward Dosu's head. Dosu rolled his head to the side and Naruto sent another punch his way. Sasuke watched the rage behind Naruto's eyes, and he knew how upset he was. He just hoped he could control his inner demon enough to win this match with a level head.

Getting frustrated with Dosu dodging his fist, Naruto slammed his forehead down against Dosu's forehead. "And I'm pissed off about what you did to my teammates."

"Stupid," Dosu said as he rolled out from under Naruto. Naruto let out a growl as Dosu smirked. Bringing his shirt sleeve up, Dosu used a sound blast.

Naruto's hands instantly went to his ears, and he leaped a few feet back. Sasuke could already see the blood dripping down from Naruto's ears, and he winced because he knew what the Dobe was going through.

Naruto's unsteady hands went to his pouch, and he quickly uncapped a green looking cream. Using two fingers, he hastily put the cream into each of his ears before he seemed to sigh in relief.

The cream was a numbing cream Sakura had made that would numb an area for an hour. The cream wouldn't be able to completely prevent the unbalance Naruto felt because of his loss in hearing, but he would at least be able to fight through the pain. Sasuke knew this because he too got a container of numbing cream.

Naruto capped the cream before placing it back in his pouch and grabbing something else. Grabbing three kunai from his couch, Naruto took a step forward before his legs began to buckle underneath him.

"I doubt you can even hear me," Dosu said with a smirk as he took a step forward. "So I'll finish this up quickly. You didn't have a chance against me, you idiot. I've wanted to face Sasuke Uchiha since the beginning, and now I'm going to be able to."

As Dosu took another step forward, Naruto sent out his three kunai. Two of them headed toward Dosu, while one landed on the ground a few feet in front of himself; the Dobe's aim was obviously off.

Dosu blew the kunai away with a blast from his sound jutsu; his face exuberating confidence as he continued his walk toward Naruto.

Naruto dug into his kunai pouch again, and quickly threw two kunai Dosu's way. Dosu sighed before bringing his metal arm up to try to deflect the kunai. Just as the kunai made contact with Dosu's arm, the kunai tag Naruto had put on them exploded.

The explosion sent Dosu barreling back, and he ended up crashing against the tree that stood in the arena. Sasuke knew Naruto couldn't have planned that attack better even if he had tried, which Sasuke knew he hadn't.

Dosu was slow to get up, and Sasuke could tell the explosive tags had done a great deal of damage. Naruto's legs seemed to be steadier as he took a few steps toward where Dosu started to stand.

Bringing his hands together, Naruto made a large amount of clones. The clones were sent barreling toward Dosu, and Dosu was only able to dodge the first attack from the first clone.

The second and third attacks found their marks as Dosu was sent flying into the air. Naruto started to run toward where Dosu was flying in the air, and he quickly sent Dosu soaring toward the ground with a swift kick. Sasuke had to smirk at that move; he recognized it easily.

As Dosu's head bounced into the ground, the rest of his body lay still. Naruto's kick had connected with Dosu's temple, and it had caused the mummy-looking nin to go unconscious.

"The winner of this battle is Naruto Uzumaki," Genma said as he double checked Dosu. Sasuke could see the rise and fall of Dosu's chest, and knew he wasn't dead. Sasuke nodded to Naruto as the blond threw his arms into the air and started to practically skip back to the balcony.

"Way to go Naruto-kun!" Sakura cheered and hollered along with the crowd.

"It's a shame he can't hear the crowd's cheering," Shikamaru commented.

"Hn," Sasuke said with a nod, and he was surprised to find himself agreeing with the Nara. It was probably the first time in Naruto's life people were cheering for him; it wasn't really fair that he couldn't hear them.


End file.
